Québec's Louis-Philippe Roy has announced that he will be leaving the province within the month to take on the best drivers in the world at The Meadowlands and Yonkers Raceway.
Roy hopes to follow in the footsteps of world-renowned drivers Yannick Gingras and Daniel Dubé and make the big move from Québec to the New York-New Jersey area.
Roy, 28, hails from Mont-Joli, Québec and is having a breakout career season. He is the current leading driver at two tracks in Canada -- Rideau Carleton Raceway with 117 wins and also at the Hippodrome 3R with 57 wins.
“Drivers Simon Allard and Yannick Gingras made me a pressing invitation in recent weeks to come and drive in the U.S.A.,” Roy said. “So I will try my luck. I will try at The Meadowlands, specifically where there will be races on Fridays and Saturdays in the coming months and hopefully at Yonkers Raceway too. There are a lot of tracks in the area.
“Yannick assured me that I would have horses to drive,” Roy said, “and there is no one more connected that Yannick, that's for sure. It is not a blind leap of faith I am taking.
"I do not know when I can start,” Roy explained. “It will depend on the ease more or less of when I can get a temporary work permit. It is not so simple. It could come soon, maybe within a month or so, I am not sure, but I know it will come. I even told my current employer that this week would be my last, so you know I am taking this move seriously."
Roy started driving harness horses professionally in 2008 on the Québec Regional Fair Circuit. After seven years of learning the ropes he had a good season in 2015, winning 58 races and $217,000 in purses with the horses he drove. Many local owners, trainers and fans of harness racing saw that Roy had exceptional talent driving and that has continued in 2016.
Roy currently has 191 wins in 2016 and purses won at $858,000, but most impressive is his Universal Driving Rating, which is at .424.
Talented young drivers from the province of Québec that have gone on to become world renowned drivers in the sport has been taking place for many years.
The great Herve Filion, his brothers Yves and Henri Filion, Yves’s son, Sylvain Filion, Michel Lachance, Yannick Gingras, Daniel Dubé, Luc Ouellette, Gilles Gendron, Lucien Fontaine, Jimmy Larente, Gilles Lachance, Stephane Bouchard, Simon Allard and many more from Québec have made their mark in harness racing stateside.
According to top driver Yannick Gingras, “I got to meet him a little at 3R.” Gingras said. “And he seems like a very nice guy with great hands. He sits 'right' in the bike and he seems to have all the tools including a good head on his shoulders.
“I talked to a few friends of mine at home about him,” Gingras explained, “and everyone had nothing but good things to say about him. We have been in communication since the summer and I’m very happy he’s making the move now. There’s definitely a need for a new driver around here and I will do my best to help him achieve his goals the same way I was helped when I moved here.”
Roy was also influenced in his decision when he traveled to Prince Edward Island in August and won the prestigious Gold Cup and Saucer Final at Charlottetown Driving Park and recently was second with Yagonnakissmeornot in the $311,000 final of the Milton Stake for older pacing mares at Mohawk Racetrack in Ontario.
“Winning for Rene Allard in the Gold Cup & Saucer and being second for him in the Milton Stake helped me to get great visibility,” Roy said, “and from there I told myself that it might be the right time to try it, but I thought about it before as how I want to spend my life in the future.
“If I want to be a harness racing driver full time,” Roy explained, “I got to go somewhere else because racing in Québec and Ottawa makes it hard to earn a living without having another job then just driving. With Simon Allard and Yannick Gingras telling me that I should try it in the U.S.A. this winter, it convinced me to go for it.”
Daniel Delisle has been the track handicapper at the Hippodrome 3R for many years and had strong praise for Louis-Philippe Roy.
“I have had the privilege of witnessing the ascent in the world of harness racing of both Daniel Dube and Yannick Gingras,” Delisle said, “who as Louis-Philippe Roy, made their professional debut at 3R and I must say that the progress of Louis-Philippe is equally phenomenal. It can only be successful in the U.S.A. and that’s what all the world wants for him in Québec.
“One advantage is that he has is that he is a young man, simple and articulate,” Delisle said. “And he has such natural ability which to succeed in this industry is a necessary asset. He will be missed by many in Québec, but his future looks very bright in harness racing.”
(with files from Hippodrome 3R)
Watched LPR two summers ago
Watched LPR two summers ago at H3R. After a couple of wins, took notice of the Blue/White/Gold, and have been following his success ever since. He did his first English radio interview with me in September, and, although nervous, built confidence as he went along. This kid can drive, whether getting a horse out of the gate, or coming off the pace. Bonne chance LPR
He'll do well anywhere he
He'll do well anywhere he chooses to drive. He has a natural set of hands.
Good luck Louis!
That's exactly what I was
That's exactly what I was thinking , you will do well !