C J Desbi fought off the streaking Coupe de l'Avenir champion Cattlekiss to win the $30,300 Lucien Bombardier Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies in her Hippodrome 3R debut on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5.
Pascal Berube picked up the live catch-drive for C J Desbi's 3R debut and put the Jacques Dupont trainee on the point in a contested :27.1 opening quarter then kept the 1-9 favoured Coupe de l'Avenir champion Cattlekiss and driver Guy Gagnon at bay through middle splits of :57.1 and 1:25.2. Those two fillies continued to battle head-to-head in a race of their own turning for home, but C J Desbi had more to offer and kicked two lengths clear in the stretch to halt the favourite's win streak at six. C J Desbi stopped the clock in 1:55 flat and returned $13.70 to win as the 5-1 second choice. Dottie Hinson and Marie-Claude Auger rounded out the top three more than 13 lengths behind.
A homebred for owner Sylvain Descheneaux of Sorel-Tracy, Que., the Bettors Delight-Katniss S BG filly arrived at the Trois-Rivieres, Que. half-mile oval with a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots victories under her belt and earned her third career win in 10 starts while lifting her bankroll to $57,775.
Dupont was last victorious in this event winning one of 2023 divisions of the Bombardier with Sweet Molly.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(Standardbred Canada)