It is always a tough battle when Standardbred horse turn age four. They are no longer colts and fillies but horses and mares. And with age comes the challenge of facing older formidable foes on the racetrack.

Such is the case for Kinnder Dangerous. This four-year-old gelded son of Northern Escort is coming off a good season in 2017 where he won five times and was second in the $65,000 Breeders Cup finale.

Now he is a big older, a bit more mature and by the looks of his first race back last Sunday at 3R, ready for action according to his breeder, owner and trainer, Denitza Petrova of Melbourne.

“Yes, he grew a bit this winter,” said Petrova. “He is about 16 hands now and is a robust horse.

Last Sunday Kinnder Dangerous made his first start of the 2018 harness racing season after two decent qualifying efforts for driver Justin Filion, Petrova’s significant other.

In that race he got away in fourth place and then by the half-mile marker Filion found second-over cover. Then in the backstretch Filion swept three-wide and collared pacesetter Lucky Promesses and driver Jerome Lombart on the final turn.

Filion and Kinnder Dangerous were able to clear by Lucky Promesses at the top of the stretch and Kinnder Dangerous then went on to win with ease by three and three-quarter lengths in a lifetime best 1:59.1 clocking.

“He was ready to go a good mile,” Petrova said. “I knew that, but a race is a race, so you never know. I was very happy with his last half mile.”

Now Kinnder Dangerous faces the next challenge as he drew post five in Sunday’s sixth race Invitational Trot where he faces eight rivals. He is listed as the 4-1 third choice in the field.

The favourite is Caroluzzo from post three for driver Stephane Gendron. The nine-year-old scored his first win of the year two starts back in 1:59.4 and last week was three lengths back in Rocky Boy’s 1:57.2 score.

Torches Angel, who has won three of her last five starts, leaves from post 7 with Stephane Brosseau in the sulky and in post 8 is rival Capteur De Reve for driver Pierre Luc Roy. He was the champion of the three-year-olds last year. Both horses are prepping for the upcoming Quebec-Bred Series at H3R.

Other competitors in the field include HP Run Like Mom (post 4), Holiday Party (post five) and the good mare Lucky Promesses (post 2).

“The competition is very strong in the Invitational Trot for sure,” Petrova said. “He got the job done last year as a three-year-old from post 8. We will see how it goes now. It’s just his second start of the year on Sunday.”

Justin Filion turned age 45 on Thursday and was not surprised by Kinnder Dangerous’s big win last week.

“I really was not surprised,” Filion said. “When he is feeling good he is always a strong closer. The racing season is just getting started and so far, he seems better every time he is on the track. Most of these horses he goes against Sunday are very nice classy trotters, so the competition is strong. Depending on how the race goes, I think he can do good.”

"His first race gave Justin and me several reasons to glimpse this season with confidence," Petrova explained. “It was a win in 1.59.1, the last half under one minute and last quarter in 29 seconds. It will be tougher this week, but he must be ready to fight because the Quebec Series will start for him on Tuesday, June 12. "

And speaking of birthdays, Petrova was very happy to announce that on May 22, her mare, Majestic Joy, the mother of Kinnder Dangerous, had given birth to a colt, who is a full brother to Kinnder Dangerous.

"I had owned the stallion Northern Escort, now in service in Indiana and kept a share so I could continue to breed to him,” Petrova said. “The mare is a Quebecer, so we will have a brother to Dangerous who hopefully will race in Quebec in two years."

Petrova names all her homebred horses with the first name of Kinnder. It’s named after the world-renowned chocolate egg that comes with a little toy inside it. Petrova loves the chocolate since she first came to Quebec from Bulgaria and has a massive collection of the toys.

This season Petrova’s Stable, with Filion driving, is red-hot. In six starts they have three winners, a batting average of .500 and more Kinnders on the way.

But will you see Petrova in the winner’s circle or the race paddock on race days? The answer is no.

“Since we have the training and breeding farm in Melborne, there is so much work to do,” Petrova said. “So, I do the work at the farm while Justin is at the races. If not, we will never get the work done and especially this time of year when we take care of the newborns and I am into the breeding season. But, I never miss a race, always looking on them on my phone. Later this season I will go to the races when things slow down a bit.”

First race post time Sunday is 12:50 p.m. To view the entries for Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.

(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)