Richard Moreau has long been recognized as one of the nation's leading trainers, and on Thursday evening he celebrated a major milestone at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

The resident of Lachenaie, Quebec posted his 3,000th lifetime win as a trainer when Lonely Winner paced to a 1:55 victory in tonight's seventh race at Rideau.

He drew to within one win of the milestone earlier on the card when Honey Of A Deal went wire-to-wire in Race 4 in a time of 1:55.1.

Moreau capped off his night by starting his climb to 4,000 career wins when pacing mare Literacy pushed his win total to 3,001 with her off-the-pace tally in Race 12 at Mohawk Racetrack.

The new millennium has been kind to Moreau, who has watched his stable surpass the million mark in earnings in each of the last nine years. He put up career numbers in 2007 when he sent out 336 winners and watched his stable bank in excess of $2.9 million.

In other Thursday evening happenings at Rideau Carleton Raceway,
Gusty Volo front-stepped his way to a 1:57.3 win in the co-featured $13,400 Preferred Trot for trainer/driver Robbie Robinson.

It was the third consecutive score in the top trotting class for the four-year-old son of Yankee Glide, who races for owners Brian Cassell, Jacqueline Dinelle and Sean Hibbert.

Match Bayama vaulted past the $200,000 mark in career earnings after taking the checkered flag in the $13,400 co-featured Preferred Pace for trainer John MacDonald.

The six-year-old son of Goliath Bayama stopped the clock in 1:53 for Sebastien Giroux, who conditions and co-owns the gelding with Claude Giroux (Les Ecuries Giroux Inc.), Kevin Skilton and Jacques Caron.

To view Thursday's results, click here.