Being in the track record book is quite an accomplishment, but adding your name to it again is twice as nice.
Duc Dorleans did exactly that during Sunday afternoon’s 10-race card at Hippodrome 3R for the tandem of driver Francis Picard and trainer Jacques Dupont.
The four-year-old gelded son of Shanghai Phil-Legende Dorleans, who initially entered the track record book during last year’s three-year-old campaign when he toured the oval in 1:52.4, shaved three-fifths of second off Montreal Phil’s track standard for older pacing geldings when he zipped over the half-miler in 1:53.1.
D Gs Woodstock chopped out first-half fractions of :27 and :55 in Sunday’s record-setting mile before being challenged in the third quarter by Duc Dorleans. The three-quarter pole flashed up in 1:24 with Duc Dorleans getting the nod on the outside while in first-over attack mode. Duc Dorleans poured it on late thanks to a :29.1 final frame. He drew clear to win by eight lengths over Onyx V A. Pieraz was third in the $6,000 featured tilt.
Sent off as the 3-2 favourite, Duc Dorleans won for the first time this season and for the 13th time in his career. The career winner in excess of $300,000 is owned by the Quebec partnership of Gestion C Levesque 2005inc, Les Ecuries Dorleans Inc and Marie Helene Dupont.
To view results for Sunday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.