You'd think a former racetrack owner and operator would know when one of the horses he owns a share of is in line for a top performance. Pierre-Louis Levesque made no attempt to hide the fact he was completely fooled by
the 1:52.3 effort by Bolero Trisco in his fifth race assignment Wednesday at The Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park.
"Maybe it was the slight class drop, maybe he's finally getting used to being in Florida but I sure didn't see that one coming," Levesque said in a live TV trackside interview. "His trainer and co-owner, Daniel Martin and I were talking about sending him back up north. After this mile he's forced us to give him one more chance in Florida," Levesque added.
The seven-year-old Northern Luck-Bolero Ultima pacer left the gate alertly for driver Richard Simard, and just past the quarter was content to hold a pocket trip behind Tuffery N, with driver George Napolitano Jr. By early in the stretch it was apparent that Bolero Trisco would win by a widening margin over Tuffery N. Longshot Howies Heart, driven by Mike Micallef, brushed in for third.
Levesque is now a seasonal resident of Florida, and his home in Canada is at Carignan, Quebec. His family owned Windsor Raceway until the sale of the border city track in 1989-90 to the late Tom Joy.
"Racing was very different when we owned Windsor Raceway," Levesque offered. "In the 1980's there was very little off-track or inter-track wagering and it was long before simulcasting, slots, casino competition and the internet. Americans made up over 60 per cent of our attendace for most programs before the [Ambassador] bridge and [Detroit-Windsor] tunnel were gridlocked.
"After we sold Windsor Raceway, I got out of harness racing for about seven years. Now I'm suddenly back up to owning a share of 11 horses. Back in Quebec, I was helping out with the amateur driving club and like everyone I was really saddened to see the Hipprodrome de Montreal closed. There's only a short summer schedule at Ayer's Cliff over in the Eastern Townships near the border of Vermont, and it's a shame that's the only meet remaining after the great tradition harness racing had in my home province. They say it's darkest before the dawn and it might be a longshot, but I hope a way is found to bring harness racing back to Montreal in my lifetime," Levesque added.
Pierre-Louis Levesque wasn't the only prominent Francophone owner in the Pompano winner's circle on Wednesday evening. Gerry Legault's Andover America romped over four rivals in the $14,000 weekly top trot in 1:55.2 with Bruce Ranger in the bike. That pushed Andover America's career earnings to more than $295,000. Lord Darby, off at 34-1 with Joe Pavia Jr. at the lines, finished second and Strong Hope, in rein to George Napolitano Jr., finished third.
(Pompano Park)
Ayer's Cliff will probably
Ayer's Cliff will probably have one or two days of racing as part of the Circuit Regional (fair circuit). The summer meet will consist of 20 days of racing at the Hippodrome de Quebec in Quebec City.