To date, driver Louis-Philippe Roy figures he’s watched the replay of Saturday’s Fan Hanover final at Woodbine Mohawk Park “about 10 times.”

He especially likes the ending, where he powers up in deep stretch with three-year-old pacing filly Shower Play to capture the $415,000 event. For a complete recap, click here.

It was the second-richest stakes victory of Roy’s young career, behind only the $500,000 Shes A Great Lady final that he won last September at the same track with 40-1 shot Youaremycandygirl.

“In the moment, it doesn’t really sink in. I find you appreciate it more the next day...and the days after that. Stakes racing is a different style, and it’s the area where I’ve learned the most in the last year,” said Roy, 28, an O’Brien Award finalist for Canada’s top driver in 2017, who’s been winning at a brisk clip in Ontario this year. He is currently Canada’s season leader in purses won, at $2.7 million.

Roy hasn’t forgotten his Quebec roots, however, and will return to the track that launched him, Hippodrome 3R, on Sunday for the inaugural Ben Hur Cup, a head-to-head challenge with another formidable driver originally from ‘la belle province,’ Sylvain Filion.

“The competition will be fun, but I also get to see a lot of my friends,” said Roy, a native of Mont-Joli. “I’m still very attached to Quebec racing. My brother (Pierre-Luc) drives at Trois-Rivieres, I keep up with what’s going on and I still watch all the replays.”

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)