It’s never easy for a newcomer to get adjusted to their surroundings, especially in harness racing, so Fortune Playboy will have his work cut out for him in the feature pace Sunday at the Hippodrome 3R.

Fortune Playboy comes into the third race on a two-race winning streak at Kawartha Downs, where he led from start to finish in 1:53.1 and then a lifetime-best 1:52 clocking for trainer John MacMillan.

The five-year-old gelded son of Rambaran will start from post six and is going for his sixth victory on the year. Gilles Gendron will be in the sulky.

The race favourite is Aarons Mattjesty from the rail for driver Denis St Pierre. Last week he beat the best at the Hippodrome 3R the hard way. He was parked out first-over from the half-mile marker and still was able to grind it out to the finish with a 1:54.3 triumph.

It will be an interesting battle to see who leads the race as while newcomer Fortune Playboy always races well when on the lead, Cliff Drummond, from post five, and driver Gaetan Lamy may have other ideas.

Also a horse that does his best racing on the front end, Cliff Drummond is also expected to try and control the pace, setting up a great possible early speed duel. He was second by a neck in his last start, the prior one he held on by a neck after wiring the field. Trained by Pierre Ouellette Jr., Cliff Drummond has won two of his last four starts.

Another contenders in the well matched field is Who Dey from post four for driver Pascal Berube. He has won two of his last five starts and has yet to finish worse than third in this class since coming north from Pompano Park back in May.

Post time Sunday is 1:30 p.m.

To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R

(With files from QJC)