For the second straight week, Thats Hooligan showed that he can grind it out against the best trotters at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres, Que., winning the first Preferred Trot of the season on Sunday, May 26.
In the 10th race feature trot with a purse of $5,000, 30-1 Vitor (Steven Gagnon) established the early lead from post four with My Mini Miracle (Jocelyn Gendron) getting the two-hole trip to the first quarter in :30. Meanwhile, two of the race favourites, gate breaker Kenogami Coco (Stephane Brosseau) and Only For Justice (Francis Picard), got away at the back of the pack.
Heading to the half-mile, Marie-Claude Auger started up first-over with 5-2 second choice Thats Hooligan, with Orlys Pride (Denis St. Pierre) second-over. Vitor was in command at the half-mile in 1:00.
Thats Hooligan gained on Vitor in the backstretch and those two started to leave a gap on the field to three-quarters in 1:30. Around the final turn, the two warriors battled until the top of the stretch when Thats Hooligan muscled his way to the front and went on to win by 1-1/2 lengths in 2:00.2. Vitor was second with Orlys Pride third.
Undefeated in two starts this year, Thats Hooligan is trained and owned by Peter Lepage of St-Liguori, Que. The eight-year-old Rose Run Hooligan gelding paid $7 to win.
3R's top pacing mares were in the limelight in the fourth race, a $4,000 conditioned class, and race fans made Kiss Me Bad the overwhelming 1-2 favourite. She did not disappoint.
NY Hardcore (Robert Shepherd) was first out of the gate and took the lead with Shanghaibluebeach (Pascal Berube) grabbing the two-hole spot to the opening quarter-mile in :27.4.
After the quarter, from the back of the pack, Better Kissthe Men (Simon Delisle) started up first-over, giving live cover to Kiss Me Bad and owner/driver Steven Gagnon. NY Hardcore led to the half-mile in :58.4.
In the backstretch, with an amazing rush of speed, Gagnon took Kiss Me Bad three-wide and looped the field by the three-quarters in 1:28.4. She then pulled away from the field to win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:56.1. NY Hardcore finished second with Better Kissthe Men was third.
The win was the first in three starts this season for Kiss Me Bad. Her first two starts, resulting in a fourth and third-place finish, were against male rivals in the Preferred Pace. The eight-year-old Badlands Hanover mare is trained by Daniel Mondou. She paid $3.10 to win.
In a rare occurrence, the Daily Double at 3R on Sunday came in 8-8. Astute wagering fans were not scared of the two winners starting from post eight as the $2 Daily Double paid $27.
Live harness racing resumes at 3R next Sunday, June 2 with first race post time at 12 noon. The program will feature the 2024 Quebec / Eastern Ontario Regional Driving Championship.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)