Harness racing is a game of ups and downs, and Quebec owner Tony Infilise has experienced both this week.
The high was watching three-year-old pacer Sunshine Beach score a 1:50.2 victory at Mohawk on Monday in a $17,000 pace. Infilise’s Hudson Standardbreds owns half the Somebeachsomewhere colt, a North America Cup eligible who’ll be back in action Saturday in a $75,000 division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes.
“He’s a good horse, no question. The best three-year-old I’ve had. How good, time will tell us,” said Infilise of the $85,000 yearling purchase.
The horse he won’t be watching race this weekend is Olivias Way.
The Shanghai Phil mare won two legs of Hippodrome 3R’s series for older Quebec-bred pacing mares and would have been favoured in the $25,000 final on Sunday afternoon, but can’t race because of the equine-herpes-virus quarantine affecting horses who’d been stabled in Les Cedres.
She’s shown no ill effects but the restriction on horses from Les Cedres won’t be lifted until next week, freezing her out.
“That’s horse racing. Things happen that you can’t control. The decision had to be made and it was the right thing to do,” said Infilise, president of the Quebec Jockey Club.
Sunday’s card at Hippodrome 3R will feature four $25,000 finals for Quebec-bred trotters and pacers. Among the scheduled starters is 2012 Breeders Crown champion Intimidate, victorious in two legs of the series for older trotters in his only two appearances so far in 2013.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)