Sunshine Beach and Dedis Dragon – the only three-year-olds in 2013 to defeat Captaintreacherous – plus all-star performer Apprentice Hanover headline the list of 24 pacers that are eligible to race in Hippodrome 3R’s revival of the prestigious Prix D’Ete.

Restricted to just four-year-olds and now part of the prestigious Grand Circuit, the return of the Prix D’Ete will feature purses totaling $250,000. The Prix D’Ete will be the richest race in North America for four-year-old pacers, as the final will be raced for $200,000 and the consolation race will be worth $50,000. The top 16 lifetime money winning horses that enter will go in the two divisions by earnings.

“We are very pleased with the final nominees for the Prix D’Ete,” said Hippodrome 3R General Manager Vincent Trudel. “I know that our track record will most certainly be in jeopardy with this high calibre of competition. The Prix D’Ete has a long history of being won by great horses, and I think that will happen again with this renewal.”

The signature event of Quebec’s revival of harness racing is just three months away. It will take place on Sunday, September 21. Since the list of eligibles has been finalized at 24, it is now time to take a look at the leading candidates for the event, based on early 2014 accomplishments.

‘A’ is always a very good place to start, and ‘A’ stands for Apprentice Hanover, trained by Ontario's Ben Wallace, who has the highest earnings in 2014 among the eligibles ($313,660). Indeed, that figure puts him second in all of North America this year behind P H Supercam, who won the Levy Series final at Yonkers Raceway when Apprentice Hanover rallied from dead last at the head of the stretch to miss by a heartbreaking neck. Apprentice Hanover is a model of consistency this year, with a scorecard that reflects six wins, five seconds, and a third in 12 starts.

The other $100,000 winner in 2014 among the Prix eligibles is Mach It So, trained by New Jersey-based horseman PJ Fraley. Mach It So won three Levy preliminaries before being stymied by a draw of Post 8 in the finals. The Levy Series references are especially relevant here because Yonkers, like 3R, is a half-mile track, showing that the form of these horses should translate well to the local oval.

Sunshine Beach and Dedis Dragon – the two three-year-olds of 2013 that beat divisional rival Captaintreacherous (whose connections have committed him to a race in Ohio) – are also among the Prix possibilities. Dedis Dragon has two wins and five in-the-money finishes from seven starts this year for North America’s record-setting trainer Ron Burke, while Sunshine Beach, from the barn of Rideau Carleton Raceway-based conditioner Mark Steacy, is ready to start his 2014 campaign after a recent 1:52 victory in a qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack. Sunshine Beach did finish the 2013 season with $909,283 in earnings and a world record mile in 1:47.4.

Mention should also be made of ‘The Local Hero,’ Duc Dorleans, who set the all-time 3R track record of 1:52.4 last season – this year he lowered the oval’s standard for older pacers to 1:53.1. Trained by Jacques Dupont for Quebec owners Gestion Levesque, Ecuries Dorleans, and Marie Helene Dupont, Duc Dorleans is currently racing at 3R, where he has been first and second the last four weeks.

“We hope that everyone will come out this season, especially for the Prix D’Ete weekend and enjoy our great racing program and Québécois hospitality,” Trudel said. “There are no finer vacation and tourism areas in the Quebec region than Trois-Rivieres, Montreal and Quebec City during the summer and fall months.”

Initially known as the Prix d’Automne and won by older horses such as the three-time Horse of the Year Bret Hanover, the marquee event at Blue Bonnets racetrack in Montreal was converted into the Prix D’Ete, a race for three-year-old pacers in 1970 and remained one of the major North American stakes in the division until its last running in 1992. Past winners included Cam Fella, Niatross, Albatross, Strike Out, Abercrombie, Matts Scooter and Beach Towel.

The list of nominees for the 2014 Prix D’Ete appears below.

Alexas Jackpot
Apprentice Hanover
Captive Audience
Dedis Dragon
Duc Dorleans
Fool Me Once
Good Day Mate
Lonewolf Currier
Lucan Hanover
Mach It So
Moonliteonthebeach
Normandy Invasion
Olde Time Hockey
Rockin Amadeus
Shamballa
Si Semalu
Sunfire Blue Chip
Sunshine Beach
Sweet Talkin Satin
Thatll Be The Rei
Twilight Bonfire
Urbanite Hanover
Windsong Jack
Word Power

(QJC)