Imagine Speed and her young pilot, Tyler Jones, upset during the opening round of the Quebec-Bred Series for four and five-year-old pacers on Sunday (June 10) at Hippodrome 3R, as she scored a dramatic neck victory at odds of 15-1 over Skyfall Sena and race favourite HP Sissy.

The fifth race co-feature for mares saw Jones, the son of top horseman Dustin Jones, leave with Imagine Speed. Also on the move from the outside was HP Sissy and driver Stephane Brosseau. Brosseau and HP Sissy took command from Imagine Speed before the opening quarter mile (:28).

HP Sissy sat comfortably in front past the half mile marker (:58), and it was then that Skyfall Sena with Jonathan Lachance started up first-over, but could not gain ground on the race leaders.

Then, right at the three-quarters (1:27.3), Jones pulled out from the pocket with Imagine Speed and came after HP Sissy. All the while, Skyfall Sena found another gear and was three-wide chasing after the leaders.

It proved to be a three-horse battle down the stretch. HP Sissy began to fade and Imagine Speed got up at the wire and pinned a neck victory on Skyfall Sena. HP Sissy finished third by only three quarters of a length. The time of the race was 1:57.4.

The victory was the second win in just four starts this year for Imagine Speed. The five-year-old mare by Ponder is trained by Michel Allard of Saint-Esprit, who co-owns with Michel Lefebvre of Longueuil. She paid $33.90 to win.

The eighth race was the horse division of the Quebec-Bred Series’ first round. It was Cyclone Joe (Sylvain Lacaille) that shot to the early lead. Noplay (Melanie Plourde) followed in second place.

As they went around the first turn, Cyclone Joe went off-stride and then Noplay did the same. That allowed C L Sportaction and driver Jonathan Lachance to inherit the lead, and the duo didn’t give it up.

With Majo Lou Beka (Mario Lachance) sitting right on their back, C L Sportsaction led to the quarter in :28.3 and the half mile in :58.4 before the race favourite, Dance With Joe (Richard Simard), who was going for his fourth straight win, came first-over.

Lachance and C L Sportsaction pulled away a little more down the backstretch as Dance With Joe tried to gain ground. Dance With Joe couldn’t keep up past the three quarters (1:27), and C L Sportsaction went on to win by one and one-half lengths over Majo Lou Beka. Dance With Joe finished third. Wildriverbumblebee (Stephane Brosseau), who was making his 2018 debut, never got into the hunt and finished sixth.

For C L Sportsaction, a four-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter, it was his third win in six starts this year for trainer Mario Lachance and the C Leblanc Stable of Saint-Eustache, who also bred C L Sportsaction. He paid $5.80 to win.

The Quebec-Bred Series will continue with two more legs. The $30,000 finals for both the pacers and trotters are scheduled to be raced on Thursday, August 9.

TRACK NOTES: No trainer or driver was able to score more than one win on the ten-race program.

This Tuesday night, the trotters will kick off the Quebec-Bred Series with two divisions. The mares are headlined by Y S Suzanne, HP Run Like Mom and Lucky Promesses. The horses feature Holiday Party, who will take on Kinnder Dangerous and Capteur De Reve. Post time Tuesday is 6:30 p.m. For more information and a free race program, visit quebecjockeyclub.com.

To view the harness racing results for Sunday at H3R, click the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.

(Quebec Jockey Club)