Driver Pierre-Luc Roy, the older brother of O’Brien Award-winning driver Louis-Philippe Roy, had important life choices to make last fall with the arrival of a second child.
He chose to prioritize his small family and, to the surprise of many fans and colleagues, stopped racing horses on Sept. 27, 2020, the day of the Québec finals for two- and three-year-olds. However, things have changed since then, and he is now looking forward to taking over the lines again.
Roy had a good season in 2020, with almost $170,000 in earnings, almost 30 victories, and all with fewer starts than in previous years because of his decision to stop racing. The statistic that will be remembered above all was his URS of .317, the third best at Hippodrome 3R for drivers who competed in at least 100 races.
“I am all the more proud of this average,” Roy explained, “as it was achieved without the contribution of the Québec Regional Fair Circuit. In the past years, I often drove on the fair circuit, especially in Gaspesie. It helped me in my statistics. In 2020, the average is excellent, and without the input of racing at the fairs.”
“In 2020, I also had the honour of driving the horses of trainer Denitza Petrova,” Roy said. “It was a big plus in my statistics. This allowed me to win two finals on Sept. 27 — one with Kinnder High Class, the other with Kinnder Dangerzone. It's really nice to drive for Denitza.
"We kept in touch during the winter,” Roy added. “She kept me up to date on new births, progress in training, etc. I obviously wish I had the chance to keep driving for her last season.”
With his wife, Maude Larouche, Pierre-Luc has been working for a few years now to raise their own foals. They currently have four broodmares on their farms and the first concrete results may well come this year.
"It's a lot of work,” Roy said. “But it's a way for me to stay in touch with the horses without taking hours and hours of training. Maude does most of the work, and I'll throw my hat off to her. It's still nine heads that you have to take care of seven days a week.”
Roy has the mare Norvena Hanover (Western Ideal), and her two-year-old is training in Ontario with brother Louis-Philippe. The offspring of Sunshine Beach is going very well and, according to Pierre-Luc, has already trained in 2:28. A second mare is Sheissuchadream (Art Major), and she also has a foal by Sunshine Beach, but her progress is a little slower. This mare also had a filly by Betterthancheddar in 2020. The third mare is Signet (Sportswriter), who has just given birth to a filly by Shadow Play. The fourth mare is JK Soundofmusic (Bettors Delight ), who has just been bred to Jimmy Freight. It is owned by brother Louis-Philippe.
All facets of horsemanship interest Pierre-Luc — all facets of his father's job too. Like in many young households, the balance of work, family and leisure is part of his daily life. Well supported by his wife and happy in his role as the breeder of a pair of two-year-olds in training, he looks forward to the coming season with optimism.
(Québec Jockey Club)