Standardbred Canada is excited to announce that the field of eight drivers to compete in the Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship (QEORDC) has been finalized.
The Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship will take place on Sunday, June 14 at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivières, Que., and will be the third of four regional competitions on the 2026 "Road to the Nationals," which will end in Clinton, Ont. at Clinton Raceway on Sunday, July 26.
The 2026 Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship participants are:
- Pascal Berube
- Nick Boyd
- Marie Claude-Auger
- Guy Gagnon
- Ryan Guy
- William Roy
- Robert Shepherd
- Denis St. Pierre
Hippodrome 3R hosted a very successful 2024 National Driving Championship and this will mark the fifth time the QEORDC has been held at the half-mile Trois-Rivières oval.
"We are proud to host the Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship at the Hippodrome de Trois-Rivières on June 14," said Guillaume Cayer-Richard, General Manager of Club Jockey du Québec. "This event brings together some of the finest drivers in our region and offers a great opportunity to highlight the depth of talent in our sport. It also allows us to showcase our racetrack and continue building momentum for harness racing in Quebec."
Photo of the 2024 Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship winners presentation. Left to right: Standardbred Canada Director Guillaume Cayer-Richard, winning driver Stephane Brosseau, runner-up Robert Shepherd, former Standardbred Canada Director Richard Veilleux and Hippodrome 3R announcer Guy Lafontaine.
In 2024, Stephane Brosseau and Robert Shepherd punched their tickets at the QEORDC to advance to the 2024 National Driving Championship at Hippodrome 3R, where they represented Quebec very well, placing fourth and third, respectively, behind the two Ontario drivers, James MacDonald and Tyler Borth. Brosseau is a notable omission from the 2026 lineup while fresh faces Marie Claude-Auger and William Roy will participate.
Drivers will receive points based on their finishing position. The first and second-place finishers from the nine-race competition will advance to the 2026 National Driving Championship. The winner of the 2026 National Driving Championship will be invited to represent Canada at the 2027 World Driving Championship, to be hosted in Canada by Standardbred Canada, alongside defending World Driving Champion James MacDonald.
Invitations were extended to drivers based on racing statistics from the 2025 season and the first two months of 2026, along with their availability to compete in both the National Driving Championship and the 2027 World Driving Championship, and their ability to be a positive Canadian representative on an international stage.
(Standardbred Canada Press Release)