Tuning up for upcoming Breeders Trophy Series championship, Captain PV defeated familiar foes in a $7,000 prep for three-year-old Quebec-bred trotters co-featured on Friday, Aug. 30 at Hippodrome 3R.

Captain PV rebounded for driver Marie-Claude Auger after his five-race win streak was snapped in the Aug. 16 final preliminary leg of the Breeders Trophy Series won by Paradise Moni.

The 1-2 favourite in their matchup on Friday, Paradise Moni (Denis St. Pierre) went off stride right at the start and that changed the complexion of the race. At 16-1, filly MVPs Daughter (Jerome Lombart) went right out to the early lead with Captain PV getting the two-hole trip.

MVPs Daughter led to the quarter in :29.2 and the half-mile in 1:00. At that point, Paradise Moni had regrouped from making the early break and caught the field, starting up first-over from last place.

MVPs Daughter continued to lead the field to the three-quarters mark in 1:30.1 with Paradise Moni gaining first-over, but Captain PV got the jump on that rival and popped out of the pocket. Captain PV then defeated MVPs Daughter by one length in 1:59.3 with Paradise Moni finishing third.

Winless in five freshman races, Captain PV earned his sixth victory from 10 sophomore starts. The Wheeling N Dealin-Dolly P V gelding is co-owned by trainer Serge Nadeau and Ecuries Y Corriveau Inc. He paid $9.80 to win.

All of the three-year-olds in the race will return on Sunday, Sept. 8 for their respective $65,000 Breeders Trophy Series finals. It will be Super Sunday at 3R with all eight Quebec championships held with purses of more than $500,000, making it the richest day of racing in the province.

Other Breeders Trophy Series contenders winning their respective Friday assignments were Auger's homebred trotting filly Sensi Amnesia in 2:00.3 and the David Pilon-trained pacing colt G A Speed Expert in 1:57 with Robert Shepherd in the bike.

In the co-feature for older Quebec-bred trotters, Only For Justice was able to beat Royalty Beer after a thrilling two-horse battle down the stretch.

Royalty Beer (Pascal Berube) left swiftly from post eight in the $8,500 trot, clearing to the lead off the first turn over Frido PV (Stephane Brosseau). Royalty Beer led the field to the opening quarter-mile in :28.4.

Only For Justice and driver Francis Picard were also on the move before the first quarter, starting up first-over rom fourth and working their way towards the leader at the half-mile juncture in :59.

Entering the backstretch, Berube asked Royalty Beer for a little more and they started to pull away from the field, except for Only For Justice as he kept up on the outside as the two horses were up by six lengths at the three-quarters in 1:27.4.

Around the final turn and heading for the finish, Royalty Beer held a half a length lead on Only For Justice until the wire, where Only For Justice was able to surge forward in the final strides to win by a head in 1:57.3. It was the fastest trotting mile this season at 3R. Thats Hooligan (William Roy) finished 9-1/2 lengths back in third.

Only For Justice, an eight-year-old Justice Hall-Intense America gelding, was the class of the field with $579,899 in lifetime earnings. The win was his third of the season from 10 starts and his 23rd victory lifetime from 103 races. He is trained by Linda Belanger for owner and breeder Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc. Only For Justice paid $10.30 to win.

Live racing resumes on Sunday with first race post time at 12 noon. The 10th race pace is the feature with Light The Torch, fresh off a 1:54.2 score at Rideau Carleton Raceway, going against Frozen Hanover, who last week wired the field at 3R in 1:56. 

To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Hippodrome 3R.

(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)