Officials with the Quebec Jockey Club have announced that the connections of 28 horses have nominated their charges to the second annual revival of the $200,000 Prix D’Ete at the Hippodrome 3R.
Headlining the list of the 28 four-year-olds – which features six of the top ten money winning three-year-olds from last year – is $1,472,937 winner McWicked. He was voted the Dan Patch Award winner and the O’Brien Award winner as Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year in 2014.
Last year McWicked was victorious in the Breeders Crown, the Hempt Memorial, the Adios Pace and the Progress Pace for trainer Casie Coleman and Ed James’ SSG Stable.
Among the top ten money winners from 2014, McWicked is joined by other world-class performers All Bets Off, Hes Watching, Always B Miki, Limelight Beach and Somewhere In L A. Three of the horses nominated are million-dollar lifetime winners (McWicked, H’s Watching and All Bets Off).
The $200,000 Prix D’Ete is restricted to four-year-old pacers. The race will be held on Sunday, August 23. It is the richest harness horse race in all of Quebec and one of the richest races for four-year-olds in the sport.
And if speed counts for anything, then the Prix D’Ete eligibles for 2015 have that, too, as five of the six fastest three-year-old pacing colts last year were also nominated. There are 12 horses nominated with a race record of 1:50 or faster.
Hes Watching, with his amazing 1:46.4 world record performance in the final of the Meadowlands Pace, which ties him as the fastest Standardbred ever, heads the lineup followed by McWicked’s 1:47.3 world record mile at Pocono Downs, Always B Miki (1:47.4), Luck Be With You (1:48) and All Bets Off (1:48.3).
“With this calibre of horses nominated,” said Hippodrome 3R General Manager Vincent Trudel, “the Hippodrome 3R track record set last year by Sunfire Blue Chip in 1:50.3 in the Prix D’Ete could easily be broken. What a great group of horses we have that have been nominated.”
Jimmy Takter trained Sunfire Blue Chip, who was driven in the Prix D’Ete by local favorite, Yannick Gingras. Takter hopes to return once again to vie for the Prix D’Ete trophy as his stable has nominated Somewhere In L A, who last year won over $500,000 with a record of 1:50.
The top four leading money winner trainers in 2014 all have horses nominated to the Prix D’Ete (Ron Burke, Jimmy Takter, Erv Miller, Casie Coleman).
“We could not be more pleased with such top horses nominated to the Prix D’Ete,” Trudel added. “There are still two more [sustaining] payments that must be made in April and May, but I am sure that most of these horses will remain eligible. It will also be exciting as this season we have purchased a new starting car with a slated gate that will make the races even more competitive.”
There is also a local flavour to the race, as seven of the horses entered have Quebec-based connections. They are Atomic Million AM, Bettorever, Big Boy Dreams, Boomboom Ballykeel, Electric Western, Titus Seelster and Vance Bayama.
“It is shaping up that we can look forward to an exciting live race meet at 3R,” Trudel said. “The race fans will not only get to see the best horses compete in the Prix D’Ete, but with the new starting gate, our $1 million Quebec-bred series, the drivers tournament and the special promotions we have planned throughout the season, opening day on Sunday, May 3 cannot arrive fast enough.”
The list containing the 28 horses that have been nominated appears below, in alphabetical order.
All Bets Off
Always B Miki
Arthur Blue Chip
Atomic Million AM
Best Said
Bettorever
Big Boy Dreams
Boomboom Ballykeel
Electric Western
Fort Knox
Hes Watching
Jet Airway
Limelight Beach
Luck Be Withyou
Mattamerican
McWicked
Melmerby Beach
National Debt
Roger Mach EM
Silverhill Shadow
Somewhere In L A
Speckled Door
Three Of Clubs
Titus Seelster
Unlocked
Vance Bayama
Whiskey N Pie
Winds Of Change
(Quebec Jockey Club)