It was not reigning Hippodrome 3R driving champions Pascal Berube and Stephane Brosseau who stole the show last week on opening day at the Trois-Rivieres half-mile oval in Quebec. It was 'The Showman' himself, Jocelyn Gendron, who ended up in the limelight.
Gendron, who calls Becancour, Que. home these days, ended the afternoon at 3R with a driving double, along with fellow horsewoman Marie-Claude Auger, as those two now have the early lead in the driver standings.
When it came to the featured Preferred Pace last week, Gendron was in his glory as he drove Thedoginthefight to victory and the duo seeks to repeat that effort this Sunday, May 12 in the ninth race.
“It was the first time I ever drove this horse,” Gendron said of Thedoginthefight. “I was very comfortable on him because he came from Rideau Carleton, was already racing, so he had the experience for Trois-Rivieres. And his trainer at Rideau, Guy Gagnon, said it was a horse for me. So, I was very comfortable in the sulky.”
Thedoginthefight starts from post four for Gendron. While his race lines show that he is not a leaver at the start of the races, last week he showed true grit in coming first-over and grinding it out on the outside en route to a 2:02.3 triumph over the sloppy track by three-quarters of a length.
“At the three-quarter-mile mark, I was in possession of a good horse and I was just waiting for the right time to go with him,” explained Gendron. “I’m pretty good when driving on a sloppy track.”
Coming first-over with Thedoginthefight from before the half-mile marker, Gendron guided his mount into second place on the outside by the three-quarters and then cut him loose at the top of the stretch.
“I was very proud of this horse,” added Gendron. “He scored a great victory.”
Thedoginthefight is the 5-2 morning line favourite. Born A Rebel goes from post three for driver Jessica Turenne and last week they cut the mile and just got beat by Thedoginthefight. They race as an entry with Celia Bayama (post seven) from the Jack Reid Stable.
Two newcomers to the race include Rideau Carleton invader, Beauty Is Blind (post eight), for driver Pascal Berube. The seven-year-old mare shows a win and two game second-place finishes in her last four starts. Mickeymaksomespeed (post nine) is a fan favourite at 3R for the Michel Allard Stable, and is making his first start of the 2024 race season with William Roy in the sulky.
'The Showman,' whose trademark swirling of his whip around his head when approaching the winner’s circle after a victory is a fan favourite, still has plenty of confidence in his driving ability.
“I still feel confident in the sulky,” explained Gendron. “Even though I am moving into my 60s, I am still a dedicated competitor.”
Hippodrome 3R has a 12-race card starting at 12 p.m. on Sunday. Each of the 12 races are full fields of eight or nine starters per race. For a free race program, visit hippodrome3r.ca. For Sunday's entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)