The Quebec Regional Fair Circuit held its finals at Hippodrome 3R on Saturday, Oct. 7 and despite rainy conditions during the afternoon card of harness racing, track record holder YS Sensationalcity and driver Roger Guilbeault stole the show.
The fourth race feature started off with Velocity City (Dany Mainguy) going to the early lead with Mach N Cheddar (David Pilon) getting the two-hole seat as they went by the opening quarter-mile in :28.3 over the good track with a two second allowance by the Judges.
As they raced to the half-mile in :58.4, Better Kissthe Men (Simon Delisle) went first-over and then dropped into third place while race favourite YS Sensationalcity and Guilbeault then went first-over from fourth place in the backstretch and with a blast of speed took the lead away from Velocity City at the three-quarters in 1:29.1.
By the top of the stretch, YS Sensationalcity was leading by five lengths and then took off down the stretch, winning in a romp by 13 lengths in 1:58.3. Mach N Cheddar was second with Better Kissthe Men finishing third.
For YS Sensationalcity, it was her seventh win this year for owner-trainer Michel Allard, who co-owns the three-year-old filly with Kapildeo Singh. She paid $2.50 to win. Her mile was the fastest on the race card.
As for winning driver Roger Guilbeault, it was only his third start of the season and his third straight win. He has made only 14 career starts with six wins.
In the ninth race challenge final for female drivers, it was CL Big Beach and driver Nancy Auger beating stablemate Mach Play and Guylaine Gagnon.
Mach Play cut the mile with fractions of :28.3 and :58.3 before Auger went first-over from the pocket seat before the three-quarters in 1:29.4.
The two stablemates then raced neck and neck around the final turn and down the stretch until CL Big Beach pulled away at the wire to win by one length in 2:01.1. Mach Play was second with Uncontrollable (Johanne Dechamplain) third.
The win was the seventh this year for CL Big Beach. The six-year-old Sunshine Beach gelding is trained by Nancy Auger for owner Joel Gagnon and paid $2.90 to win as the race favourite.
In the Trainers Challenge Final Pace with trainers doing the driving, Stock (Sylvain Tremblay) and Wild River Swan (John Bradbury) battled against each other from the very start.
Stock went to the early lead with D J Power (Jean Marc Roy) in second and Wild River Swan parked on the outside.
Those two battled neck and neck to the quarter in :30.2, the half in 1:01.1 and the three-quarters in 1:32.1. Then down the stretch, they fought until nearing the finish where Wild River Swan, parked out the entire mile, went on to win by one length in 2:03.2. Stock was second with Outlaw Turn N Burn (Dominique Picard) third.
Owned by Dr. John Bradbury, Wild River Swan picked up her third win of the year.
Jean-Francois Gauthier notched his first career driving victory, a gate-to-wire score aboard a maiden-breaking Jayport Lexus in the afternoon's second race. Gauthier of Jonquiere, Que. also owns the sophomore son of Artspeak - Beachy Girl, who is trained by Sylvain Tremblay.
Tremblay was the top horseman on the day as he drove two winners and trained three winners on the race card.
Live racing resumes at 3R on Sunday, Oct. 8 with a nine-race program headlined by the sixth race Preferred Pace where GA Speed Gabby goes for his fifth straight win against return winner D Gs Devito and Partyintheshadows. Post time is 12 noon. For more information and a free race program, visit hippodrome3r.ca.
For results from Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)