Mr Mach Jimmy, who last year closed out the 2015 season winning the Quebec-Bred Championship Final for two-year-olds, finally got the goose egg off the win column in 2016, capturing a division of the Breeders Cup Series at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (July 24).

It took a lifetime-best effort of 1:56.2 and the defeat of the red-hot Sports Authority for Mr Mach Jimmy to notch his first win of the season after eight straight losses.

Starting from the rail in the $7,500 third race, one of two fourth and final preliminary rounds of the Breeders Cup Series for three-year-old pacers, Mr Mach Jimmy and driver Pascal Berube were on a mission to get to the lead and not give it up. With Chummy Park (Louis-Philippe Roy) also bent getting the early lead along with a three-wide race favourite, Sports Authority (Mario Charron), it was a three-horse early battle with Mr Mach Jimmy on top in :27.4 to the opening quarter-mile and Charron having to take back on Sports Authority to fourth-place.

Meanwhile, Sagawi and driver Jocelyn Gendron, sitting in third-place, took the plunge and came first-over at the half-mile marker in :58.1 with Sports Authority grabbing the live second-over cover. But that cover did not last and Charron had to then take Sports Authority three-wide coming into the backstretch.

Charron pulled the ear plugs on Sports Authority and he came alongside Mr Mach Jimmy at the three-quarters in 1:26.4, but Mr Mach Jimmy was not to be denied and held off Sports Authority to the wire, winning by one and three-quarter lengths. Magster (Gaetan Lamy) was third.

Trained by Dany Fontaine for Gaetan Bono Inc. of Montreal, Que., Mr Mach Jimmy, sired by Mach Three, paid $7 to win.

In the 11th race, second colt division, Louis-Philippe Roy posted his third winner of the afternoon, driving HP Patriote to his fourth straight victory with a 12-length romp in 1:57.1.

Ey Cowboy and driver Maxim Gaudreault shot to the early lead and led by six lengths at the opening quarter-mile in :28.4 and then backed it down by the half-mile in 1:00. It was then Roy started HP Patriote first-over and, by the backstretch, had cleared to the lead with three-quarters clocked in 1:28.2 and started to open up daylight on the field, winning by the length of the stretch. Dance With Joe (Daniel Dulude) was second with YS Artistic Fella (Stephane Brosseau) third.

The win was the eighth in just nine starts this year for HP Patriote. The son of Vintage Master is trained by Gerard Demers and is co-owned by Les Ecuries GLD Inc. with breeder Claude Hamel of Ayer's Cliff, Que. He paid $2.40 to win.

In the filly division, there were 10 starters in the $8,250 ninth race and Wild River Swan (Stephane Brosseau) started off the show, leaving from post five like a rocket to the front. But trainer/driver Yves Filion had different ideas with Clodam Bayama as they came after and took the lead away from Wild River Swan at the opening quarter-mile in :28.2.

Making atones for breaking as the wagering favourite last week, Clodam Bayama led the field to the half-mile marker in :58 and then was challenged by HP Pandora and driver Louis-Philippe Roy in the backstretch. It looked as if Roy would clear by the three-quarters in 1:27, but Filion was the sly fox and kept Roy parked out.

Then in the stretch, Clodam Bayama had just enough left over to hold off both Wild River Swan and Art De Gagnee (Mario Charron) to win by a half-length in 1:57.4.

Owned and bred by Filion’s Bayama Farms and Jacques Damours of Laval, Que., Clodam Bayama earned her second win in the series. The daughter of Bettors Delight paid $4.30 to win.

There were three divisions of the Future Stars Series opening round for two-year-old pacing fillies and colts.

The fillies were spotlighted in the $8,250 sixth race with a bulky field of 10 starters on the 3R half-mile oval.

Kinnderuntouchable, a daughter of Allamerican Native, was able to lead from start to finish for driver Justin Filion, but not with a late scare by D Gs Elsa and driver Jonathan Lachance.

Sweeping three-wide on the turn around horses, Lachance and D Gs Elsa were on the move, but could not catch Filion and Kinnderuntouchable, who held on to win by a head in 2:03. Chaleurs Melodie (Carl Duguay) was third.

Kinnderuntouchable was bred and is owned and trained by Denitza Petrova of Les Cedres, Que., and paid $8.90 to win.

The two $7,500 colt divisions were non-wagering races with the fastest division going to Histoire Enchantee and driver Marion Charron.

The son of Shanghai Phil wired the field, but was collared by Majo Lou Beka (Lachance) on the final turn and those two went head and head down to the wire with Histoire Enchantee holding on by a neck in 2:01.3. Joe’s Best (Gilles Gendron) was third.

Trained by Maxime Velaye, Histoire Enchantee is owned and was bred by Guy Corbeil of Montreal, Que.

The second division saw C L Sports Action and Lachance clear to the lead at the three-quarter pole and then hold off a late charge by Wildriverbumblebee (Roy) to win by one length in 2:02, with Chaleurs Magic (Stephane Gendron) back in third.

Trained by Mario Lachance, the son of Sportswriter was bred and is owned by Ecuries C Leblanc Inc. of Saint-Eustache, Que.

TRACK NOTES: Three-time Quebec Series champion and track record holder Atomic Million AM put on a clinic Saturday in the 10th race pace when he and driver Sylvain Lacaille were parked first-over the entire mile by pacesetter D Gs Justlikethat and driver Jonathan Lachance. Despite the extra distance racing on the outside, Atomic Million AM held on in the stretch to fend off 23-1 Apple Pie Angle (Mario Charron) to win by a head in 1:56.3, paying $3 to win.

Live racing resumes Tuesday evening, first post at 7 p.m., with the fourth and final preliminary round of the Breeders Cup Series for three-year-old trotting colts and fillies. There will also be two divisions of the second round of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old trotters. They are non-wagering races scheduled to be held at 6:30 p.m.

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

(With files from QJC)