Aladdin, at odds of 6-1, upset race favourite The Light Speed, who was gunning for his fourth straight win, on Sunday, June 11 at Hippodrome 3R in the opening round of the Quebec-Bred Series.
The series is for four-year-old and older pacers and trotters. Sunday’s card featured one $6,500 division for pacing horses and two for the pacing mares.
The ninth race was for the older horses and Friday's Preferred winner Mickeymaksomespeed (Jocelyn Gendron) got the early lead with Shanghaigold (Marie-Claude Auger) following in the pocket and Ritchie Alpha and (Loic Gueriel) parked out first-over with no place to drop in. The first quarter went in :27.2.
By mid-race, Ritchie Alpha was blocking the outside flow, forcing Aladdin and driver Stephane Brosseau to go three-wide from the backfield past the :56.3 half-mile mark. The Light Speed (Jimmy Gagnon) followed that three-wide move.
Around the third turn, Brosseau was able to clear to the lead with Aladdin, but The Light Speed wanted the lead as they passed the three-quarters in 1:25.1.
Though it seemed that Aladdin had every reason to give up the lead, he stayed determined and went on in the stretch to hold off The Light Speed by a neck in 1:54.2. Mickeymaksomespeed was third, finishing more than four lengths behind.
The victory was the first in two starts this year for Aladdin (pictured above), who paid $14.50 to win. The four-year-old Shadow Play gelding is trained by Maxime Velaye for owner/breeder Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, Que.
The first of the two $6,500 divisions of the series for older pacing mares was the fifth race and it got underway with Ontario invader Lili GL and driver Pascal Berube making the most of the inside post and shooting right to the lead. With Platine Alpha (Jimmy Gagnon), the overwhelming 1-5 race favourite, also left from post five and elected to drop into the two-hole as they passed the opening quarter-mile in :27.4.
No one was willing to go first-over against Lili GLl as she led the field past the half-mile in :57.4.
But right at the three-quarters in 1:26.2, Gagnon pulled on the right line and sent Platine Alpha after Lili GL. Those two pulled away from the field on the final turn and locked horns in an intense battle that continued down the stretch and all the way to the wire where Lili GL refused to give in and won by a head over Platine Alpha. Quoi (Jonathan Lachance) finished 6-3/4 lengths back in third.
The 1:55.3 winning time was a lifetime mark for Lili GL and the victory was her second this season from 16 starts.
The five-year-old Up The Credit mare made her debut from the Marc-Andre Simoneau barn for owners Francois Dupuis, Richard Kelly and Ronald Kelly. She paid $7.30 to win.
In the seventh race division, Kiss Me Bad made an amazing three-wide move for catch-driver Daniel Mondou with a burst of speed in the stretch to win in 1:56.4.
Fancy Girl (Jonathan Lachance) cut the mile with Sophies Cam (Pascal Berube) in the two-hole. After a :28.2 first quarter, Fancy Girl led to the half in :58.4 as race favourite Celia Bayama (Stephane Brosseau) went first-over with Kiss Me Bad tracking the cover second-over.
Celia Bayama was not advancing fast enough first-over for Mondou, so he moved Kiss Me Bad three-wide but could not clear at the three-quarters in 1:27.3 and was stuck three-wide around the final turn. Celia Bayama seemed to fade a bit on the turn while Fancy Girl still had some pace left in her, but Kiss Me Bad had great momentum and went on at the finish to win by a head in 1:56.4. Celia Bayama was second and Fancy Girl finished third.
The win was the first in three starts this year for Kiss Me Bad. The seven-year-old Badlands Hanover mare is owned and trained by Steven Gagnon of Sorel-Tracy. Que. She paid $8.30 to win.
Pascal Berube, Stephane Brosseau and Jocelyn Gendron all scored driving triples. Trainer Marc-Andre Simoneau had a triple from his stable and Maxime Velaye had a training double.
Live harness racing resumes next Friday, June 16 with first race post time at 4 p.m. The opening round of the Quebec-Bred Series for older trotters will headline the program.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)