Last year, Ontario-based driver Simon Allard won four races at Hippodrome de Quebec on the afternoon of its marquee race, Le 5 Milles, but had to leave before the main event to honour a stakes commitment at Rideau Carleton
Raceway.
Jocelyn Gendron replaced him in the sulky of Heartthrob, trained and owned by Allard's brother Rene, and won the 10-lap marathon with a strong late move up the inside.
This year, Allard stuck around for Le 5 Milles and was rewarded with 1-1/4 length victory with M G Energik, a six-year-old Passailed gelding also trained and owned by Rene. He was the 3-1 favourite in the field of 15, 11 of whom were distanced. They held off 10-1 chance Goldendreamkillean, with 40-1 outsider Luckyinkentucky seven lengths back in third.
The time, 10:57.1, was the second-fastest in the 101-year history of the race, behind only Lifes Thrills' 10:54.1 in 2001.
Allard also drove the winner of the afternoon's other feature, a $15,000 pace, scoring a 13-1 upset with six-year-old Bolero Trisco in 1:55. Montreal Phil was second and track record-holder Royal Becquet third.
Sunday's card also marked the return to small-track racing, for one afternoon, of Quebec natives Daniel Dube, Mario Baillargeon and Luc Ouellette, who answered the call to help mark the end of the 10-card inaugural season of the Quebec Jockey Club.
(Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)
To view Sunday’s results, click here.