Four-time Quebec Champion trotter Capteur De Reve started off his 2023 season with an impressive score in capturing a non-winners trot at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday afternoon.
In the $3,700 sixth race, Keepall (Pascal Berube) led the way early on with Explosive Motion (Sylvain Fontaine) sitting the pocket trip to the first quarter in :30.1.
Berube was able to back off Keepall to the half-mile in 1:00.4 as Miles Of Muscle (Marie-Claude Auger) started up on the outside. Then race favourite Capteur De Reve, who got away in fourth place after having to start in the second tier post nine, flushed right out first-over and started to gain on Keepall by the three-quarters in 1:31 for driver Stephane Brosseau.
On the final turn, Capteur De Reve and Keepall were eye to eye and it took the length of the stretch for Capteur De Reve to beat Keepall at the wire by a quarter-length in 2:01.3. The pocket-sitting Explosive Matter snuck up the inside to be in the photo in third.
Capteur De Reve, now age nine, is conditioned by former 3R leading trainer Maxime Velaye for the Ecurie Provoquante, which also bred the Muscle Mass gelding. He paid $2.80 to win.
Owner/trainer Gina Bragagnolo won the lion's share of the $5,000 purse for the Preferred Pace as her two stablemates from Rideau Carlton Raceway invaded 3R and finished first and third.
The seventh race co-feature got underway with the Bragagnolo-trained BS Tyrrific (Jimmy Gagnon) going right out to the lead, with Bay Bries (Jessica Turenne) getting the two-hole trip. BS Tyrrific’s stablemate, Perpetual Rock, got away third, but then driver Pascal Berube brushed the five-year-old Pet Rock gelding to the front. The first quarter went in :28.3.
Perpetual Rock led to the half in :58.4 as La Petite Grise (Robert Shepherd) went first-over, giving cover to last week’s winner, Siddhartha (Stephane Brosseau).
As they raced down the backstretch, Le Petite Grise was unable to gain ground on pacesetter Perpectual Rock, so Brosseau sent Siddhartha three-wide and was able to loop around Le Petite Grise at the three-quarters in 1:27.3 and was then first-over against Perpetual Rock.
At the top of the stretch, Siddhartha was within half a length of Perpetual Rock, but the 'Rock' was too tough and held off Siddhartha down the stretch to win by one length in 1:56.2. Siddhartha held for second place with BS Tyrrific third.
The win was the second of the season from seven starts for Perpetual Rock, who is owned by trainer Gina Bragagnolo with Lyne Bragagnolo. He paid $2.70 to win.
In the $4,000 second race Preferred Handicap Trot, Frido PV won his second straight start to remain unbeaten in 2023 for driver Jonathan Lachance.
The even-money favourite went first-over down the backstretch to take the lead at three-quarters in 1:28.3 and won going away by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:58.3. The six-year-old son of Muscle Mass, who went winless in eight starts last year, bested Fix A Drink (Marie-Claude Auger) and Muscles Forever (Robert Shepherd), paying $4.10 to win.
Frido PV is trained by Yves St Jacques for owner/breeder Marcel Brouillard.
Louis Desrochers made a successful training debut during Sunday's program as the 19-year-old Warwick, Que. horseman sent out his pacing mare Way Over to an upset victory in the $3,500 ninth race. Antoine Desrochers drove the eight-year-old Pang Shui mare to the 19-1 upset in her first start of the season, catching pacesetter HF Agent Andreoli (Jimmy Gagnon) by a nose in 1:59.2.
Of the 11 races, six were won by race favourites, but four of the five non-favourites that won paid big prices, including Flashjack Soleil ($41.90), the aforementioned Way Over ($41.90), Payback ($32.10) and Windsung Cheyenne ($20.80).
Trainer Gina Bragagnolo was the only one able to send out two winners on the card.
Live harness racing resumes at 3R next Sunday, June 4 with first post at 12 noon.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)