Sunday was closing day at Hippodrome 3R and the very first race on the program pretty much summed up the leading driver and trainer titles for the 2021 race meet.
In the opening trot race, 1-9 favourite Archimed Alpha ($2.30), with driver Pascal Berube, bullied his way to the front and won with ease for owner, breeder and trainer Sylvain Tremblay in 2:02.3.
Berube, winning the 3R driving title for the second straight year, won 63 races, eight more than rival Stephane Brosseau. He drove the majority of Tremblay's Ecurie Alpha horses in 2021.
As for Tremblay, he earned his first training title at 3R and his Alpha stable dominated whenever they competed throughout the season and in the sire stakes races. Tremblay sent out 31 winners and his nearest rival was four-time defending training champion Francis Richard, at 19 wins.
The meet's final Preferred events were won by Histoire Enchantee and Tremblay's homebred Platine Alpha.
Histoire Enchantee and driver/trainer Simon Delisle were able to sweep three-wide on the final turn and gun down race favourite D Gs De Vito (Jonathan Lachance) to win the $6,000 Preferred Pace in 1:58.3.
Farmers Tan (Carol Voyer) cut the mile with Mickeymaksomespeed (Steeven Genois) in the pocket seat. After the half-mile, Lachance came first-over with D Gs De Vito, giving Histoire Enchantee great second-over live cover. In the stretch, Histoire Enchantee blew by his competitors, winning by two lengths. D Gs De Vito was second with Farmers Tan third.
From 16 starts, the seven-year-old gelded son of Shanghai Phil has won seven times this season, all at 3R for owners Aurelie Delisle and Raymond Bouffard. He paid $16.30 to win.
In the $6,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace, it was a very gutsy performance by the lone three-year-old filly, Platine Alpha, who came first-over after the opening quarter-mile and survived the overland journey, winning in 2:01.
Fancy Girl (Francis Picard) went to the early lead with Jans Legacy (Samuel Fillion) sitting the pocket seat. Platine Alpha, with Steeven Genois in the sulky, then came first-over, giving Wild River Swan (Jonathan Lachance) great second-over cover. Platine Alpha was able to hang tough first-over and, by the top of the stretch, had worn down Fancy Girl then held off a late-closing Fern Hill Bella (Carol Voyer) to win by a neck. Jans Legacy was third.
The Control The Moment filly earned her second straight win and ninth of the year from 23 starts. She paid $7.70 to win.
The win was one of four on the nine-race card for Genois, who stole the show on Sunday. Each of the four wins were with horses from different trainers. Berube and Tremblay ended the day with three wins apiece.
The honour of being the winningest horse of the 2021 season came down to this final day of racing. After the fifth race Preferred co-feature, Histoire Enchantee joined D Gs De Vito, Platine Alpha and X O X O, all tied with seven wins at 3R. That only lasted until the very next race when Platine Alpha won the Mares Preferred Pace and took away top honours as the winningest horse of the 2021 season with eight wins.
Simulcasting continues at H3R and its off-track betting sites in Quebec daily. Dates have yet to be approved for the 2022 race season. Quebec Jockey Club President, Claude Leveque, said that they are looking for a return of the prestigious Prix d’Ete for four-year-old pacers in 2022.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)