Maxime Velaye will try to accomplish a training feat that has not been achieved this season at Hippodrome 3R.
Valaye will attempt to send the winner in both the Preferred Trot and Pace features on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 3).
Velaye’s first opportunity is his best one as he sends out the race favourite, Capteur De Reve, in the Preferred Trot.
The only trotter ever to win four Quebec-Bred Championship starts again from the pylons. Last week Capteur De Reve led from start to finish over a sloppy H3R track to win in 2:03.1.
“He [Capteur De Reve] only knows H3R as the only half mile he has ever raced on,” Velaye said. “He is versatile and can handle any size track, but he likes H3R the best.”
His win last week was the sixth on the year for the five-year-old gelded son of Muscle Mass and a far cry from his record of 1:55.1 taken earlier this season for the Provoquante Stable, who bred and owns the top trotter.
Former track-record holder and Quebec Champion Seeyou Men (post 4) will try again to defeat Capteur De Reve. Last week with driver Francis Picard Seeyou Men was a game second after coming first over against Capteur De Reve.
Also entered is Volare (post 2), who nearly took the lead away from Capteur De Reve last week, but made a costly break at the opening quarter. Completing the field are two top mares: Missionoftheheart (post 5) and Talbotcreek Suzie (post 3), who is moving up in class after winning the Preferred III class last week.
Velaye then sends out the former stakes winner Histoire Enchantee, also from the pegs, in the Preferred Pace. This five-year-old gelding by Shanghai Phil won nearly $100,000 at three before injuring himself. Now two years later he has come back for Velaye in winning form with three wins, the fastest in 1:56.4.
“I am so happy with how he has come back to the races,” Veyale said. “I think we will race both of them a few more times after the end of the season here and then give them a nice rest for the winter.”
It will be a challenge for Histoire Enchantee as he takes on last week’s winner Surf Report (post 2), who led from start to finish on the sloppy track last week in 2:00.1. He will have Tyler Jones back in the sulky again.
The morning-line favourite is National Debt (post 6), who has done most of his racing this season at Rideau Carleton Raceway for trainer Yves Tessier and driver Pascal Berube. National Debt has done very well again in 2019 with 13 wins including three of his last four starts and a record of 1:51.4.
Return winners in the field include Hooter Shooter (post 5) for driver Francis Picard and Maracasso (post 4) for trainer/driver Carol Voyer and rounding out the field is Abbleby Hanover (post 3).
The 11-race program on Sunday starts at 1:00 p.m. This is the penultimate live race program at H3R before the end of the 2019 race season.
Next week on closing day the track will honour the leading driver and trainer of the race meet along with a special blanket presentation to Chinnys Wings, who is 14-years-old and will be retiring from racing come Jan. 1, 2020 when he turns 15.
(with files from Quebec Jockey Club)