When you have a limited number of race days, like the Hippodrome 3R (H3R) does with a 40-day race meet, sometimes you need to ask your racehorse to do what seems impossible: race back-to-back days and win each day.
That’s what Mickeymaksomespeed did Sunday (Oct. 9) and Monday (Oct. 10) at H3R.
Monday was a special Quebec Regional Fair Circuit Day of racing; the last one of the 2022 season. So, not to miss on a good opportunity, trainer Michel Allard entered Mickeymaksomespeed, knowing that the five-year-old stallion was also racing on Sunday.
After winning on Sunday, Allard waited to see how his horse was feeling Monday morning and made the decision to race him again.
In the seventh-race pacing feature, Mickeymakesomespeed and driver Kiwon Waldron were on the lead as soon as the starting gate got out of the way. With Outlaw Turn N Burn right on their back, they led to the first quarter in :28 and then the half in :58.
As they entered into the backstretch, Jaydens Place came first over with Hooter Shooter second over, and they pressed Mickeymaksomespeed to the three-quarters in 1:27.1.
It seemed at that point that Mickeymaksomespeed kicked into another gear for Waldron and pulled away from the field in the stretch, winning by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:56.1. Outlaw Turn N Burn was second with Jaydens Place third.
“Mickey was very good both days,” Said Kiwon Waldron after the race. “He seems to be liking the cool weather now. He was just as sharp today as yesterday as his nearly identical miles showed, yesterday didn’t take much out of him.”
Mickeymaksomespeed now has seven wins this season. He was bred and is owned by Michel Allard of Saint-Esprit and paid $4.40 to win.
As a special finale to the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit, the eighth race was the final race of the season and it was a 1-1/2-mile distance race for pacers. The Canadian record was set at H3R in 2017 when Windsun Cheyenne and Stephane Brosseau won in 2:58.1.
The race was also billed as the "Battle of the Sexes" with four women and four men in the race.
Except for the race finish, the race belonged to Macho Polo and driver Marc Lemay. They were the 2-5 favourite and raced like it. After getting stung by Mach Play to the first quarter in :28.2, Macho Polo finally made the lead for Marc Lemay. And as the field raced single file, Macho Polo cut the fractions – they went by the half mile in 1:00.1, three-quarters in 1:31.3 and the mile in 2:02.1.
Then it got tougher as they reached the 1-1/4-mile marker in 2:32.2 and Mach Play with driver William Dinelle pulled the pocket and came after Macho Polo, which allowed CL Big Beach and driver Nancy Auger to slip into the two-hole following Macho Polo.
As they came down the stretch, Mach Play was fading but CL Big Beach still had some pace and came after Macho Polo and nearly caught him, losing by a long nose in 3:03. Mach Play was third.
For Macho Polo, it was his second straight win and sixth of the year. The seven-year-old gelding is also trained and owned by Marc Lemay of Quebec City. Macho Polo paid $2.80 to win.
Track Notes: Pascal Berube led all the drivers with three wins. Kiwon Waldron had a driving double and Michel Allard a training double. Live racing will resume next Sunday (Oct. 16) with first-race post time at 12:00 p.m. (EDT).
To view Monday's harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)