For the second straight week, Uncontrollable and driver Marie-Claude Auger proved to be the best in the Preferred Pace at Hippodrome 3R. Pascal Berube led all drivers on Sunday, May 19 with five wins on the 12-race card.
Competing in the 10th race feature for a purse of $5,000, Delicate Sound and Berube had the early lead as 2-1 favourite Uncontrollable was on the outside, working his way to the top at the opening quarter-mile in :27.3.
Dictating the fractions just like last week, Uncontrollable led to the half-mile in :56.4 as Brodys Scrapper (David Pilon) went first-over with Greystone Watchman (Denis St. Pierre) second-over.
As they passed the three-quarters in 1:26.1, St. Pierre swept Greystone Watchman around Brodys Scrapper and went after Uncontrollable. The two horses were neck and neck apart as they started down the stretch, but Uncontrollable proved to be too strong, winning by nearly two lengths in 1:55.4. Greystone Watchman held for second over Kiss Me Bad (Steven Gagnon).
Repeating in 3R's top class, Uncontrollable earned her third win in eight starts this season. The six-year-old Control The Moment gelding is trained by Louis-Philippe Turcotte for owner Steve Perreault and Johanne Dechamplain, both of Mont-Joli, Que. He paid $6.10 to win.
Thats Hooligan and Auger were parked out every step of the eighth race trot, from post eight, and still were able to pull away from the field. The 18-1 longshot won in 2:00, paying $38.60 to win.
La Bromontoise (Jerome Lombart), who wired the field last week at odds of 43-1, led the field after the start with Thats Hooligan working his way up on the outside. Thats Hooligan collared La Bromontoise at the three-quarters and pulled away to win by 2-3/4 lengths over race favourite Timonier (Berube) and Lorenzo (Mario Lachance).
Thats Hooligan, an eight-year-old Rose Run Hooligan gelding, is trained and owned by Peter Lapage of St-Liguori, Que. He won his season's debut, posting the fastest trotting mile of 3R's young season.
Berube's five winners on Sunday were Bets Beach ($11.20) and Perpetuel Rock ($2.80) for trainer Yves Tessier, Run Baby ($2.60) for Marc-Andre Simoneau, Gladiator S BG ($3.40) for Jacques Dupont and La Petite Grise ($2.10) for Yves St Jacques.
Berube’s quintuple put the reigning driving champion in the lead this season with 10 wins. Auger, who won the two features, both from post eight, is second in wins at seven.
Live harness racing resumes next Sunday, May 26 with first race post time at 12 noon.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)