On Friday (March 3), the Quebec Jockey Club (QJC) announced that Hippodrome 3R’s signature race, the $200,000 Prix d’Ete for four-year-old pacers, has had to be cancelled this year.

“As per the cancellation of the Prix d’Ete this season, we can only hope that racing continues to improve in Quebec and that we can reconsider being able to host the Prix d’Ete in 2024,” said Claude Levesque, Chairman of the Quebec Jockey Club, in a press release.

The QJC did confirm that the Quebec-Bred Series for four-year-old and older trotters and pacers will return to Hippodrome 3R in 2023 with total purses estimated at $276,000.

There will be three weeks of preliminary competition in both gaits for the Quebec-Bred Series with each $30,000 final to be held on Sunday, July 9.

The pacers kick-off the competition with preliminary rounds on Sundays, June 11, 18 and 25. The trotters will be featured in the series on Fridays, June 16, 23 and 30.

The Quebec-Bred Series offers older horses an outlet after their stakes seasons at ages two and three are over. Reluctantly, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the QJC had to remove the series in 2021 and 2022. Now they have put it back on the menu and in the past the series has featured top competition.

“We are coming off a strong rebound of racing last season,” said Levesque. “I think the return of the Quebec-Bred Series at 3R this summer will help enhance our product and provide more racing opportunities for our horsemen and women in Quebec.”

(with files from QJC)