This weekend, July 19-21, across Canada has been National Caretaker Appreciation Day with tracks, training facilities and farms all participating and honoring the unsung heroes of harness racing industry. The new initiative has been developed through Standardbred Canada.

This Sunday, the Quebec Jockey Club will celebrate and appreciate all the grooms in the province of Quebec.

If the term 'passionate' applies to all people who revolve around horses, it is more appropriate to the grooms. They are often the biggest fans. Their work is essential, is done in the shadows and rarely gives rise to the thanks to which they would be entitled.

So, this Sunday at Hippodrome 3R, the Quebec Jockey Club encourages everyone to recognize and appreciate and show our admiration to the many grooms that care for the horses.

Three grooms have been singled out by the Quebec Jockey Club and they will be honored on Sunday. They are Maxime Dubuc, Pamela Gendron and Marie-Pier Paquin. There are also many others who also deserve special appreciation this weekend.

On the racetrack this Sunday is the opening round of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacers and trotters.

The pacers will be in action with four divisions, two for the colts and two for the fillies. Each division will race for a purse of $7,500. After three weeks of preliminary races, the top eight point earners in each class will return on Sunday, September 8 for their respective $55,000 finals.

First race post time Sunday is 1:00 pm. For a free race program, visit quebecjockeyclub.com. To view the entries for Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R

(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)