The focus of Friday's (July 23) card at Hippodrome 3R will be on two-year-old trotters competing in the opening round of the Future Stars Series.

There will be three preliminary rounds of competition in the series, with the top eight point earners returning on Sunday, Sept. 12, for their respective $55,000 finals.

It’s ladies first at H3R Friday with 10 two-year-old filly trotters going to post in the sixth race. The large field — eight on the starting gate and two trailers — is a bulky field for trotting fillies, but it will provide good test of their ability to stay trotting with plenty of action expected.

The morning line favourite is Lune Duharas, who starts from post six for driver-trainer Denis Gueriel. The daughter of Muscle Mass from the Credit Winner mare Moonglow is a half-sister to Astre Duharas, who has a record of 1:59. Moonglow herself was a $92,000 winner with a record of 1:56.2.

Shipping in from Woodbine Mohawk Park, Lune Duharas shows just one qualifying start, where she was a game second by a neck in 2:01.2. A repeat of that effort on H3R’s half-mile oval will make her a winner on Friday.

Earlier this season, Gueriel said, "I will be at H3R for the finals with this filly." A bold statement back then that now looks like it could come true.

Another standout in the field is local favourite Stella Alpha for Sylvain Tremblay, the leading trainer at H3R this season with 17 wins from his stable.

Stella Alpha starts from post seven for driver Pascal Berube, who has been aboard the undefeated filly by Royalty For Life. She is two-for-two so far, staying on the trot but with no real speed shown yet with her fastest win in 2:09.2, but Tremblay says she will continue to improve in ability and speed as the season progresses.

Other contenders in the field include Justice Ga Ga (Justice Hall), who led from start to finish in her second qualifier at H3R and goes from post eight for driver Stephane Brosseau. El Gio (post one) for driver Stephane Gendron, and the entry from trainer Melanie Boulianne of La Surprenante (post two) and La Surprise (post four) will be heard from in the race.

The Future Stars division for two-year-old trotting colts has just five starters, and it will be a roll of the dice to see who can win in the afternoon's ninth race.

All of the starters have very little experience racing. The entry from trainer Jean Francis Maguire looms as the toughest in the race. Cleveland Massino (post one) has Maguire in the sulky and Royalty Beer (post three) looms the toughest in the race, timed in 2:02 at Mohawk in a tough loss in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series.

Local favourite Jello Shot (post two), with Marc Belanger in the sulky, has been second in his two starts. Another contender will be Kenogami Rebel (post four) for driver Stephane Brosseau.

The Hippodrome 3R has a 10-race card set to start at 4 p.m. Friday, and another feature for the racing fans will be the Preferred Handicap Mares Pace, carded as the second race.

Jans Legacy (post seven) is the early favourite for driver Stephane Brosseau. She sports three wins this season, all at H3R, the fastest a 1:57.3 mile.

Other standouts include Topsill Beach (post eight) and Kiss Me Bad (post four), and moving up in class off a 1:58.3 triumph is Buckingham (post 1).

Coming up on Sunday (July 25) at H3R is the opening round of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies with two divisions. The new Sunday post time is 12:10 p.m.

For a free racing program, please visit www.hippodrome3r.ca.

To view Friday's complete entries, click the following link: Friday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.

(Québec Jockey Club)