Four opening-leg divisions of the Quebec-Bred Series for older pacers were contested on Sunday (June 16) at Hippodrome 3R, and it was YS Tallia and McKinney that were the fastest of all.
Additionally, YS Tallia recorded the fastest mile this season at the Hippodrome 3R via the effort.
The second division for older mares (Race 8) started off with Lune Bleu and driver Pierre Luc Roy taking command. The overwhelming 1-9 favourite, YS Tallia and driver Stephane Gendron, dropped into second place by the quarter pole in :28.2.
Gendron then came out briefly with YS Tallia as if he was going to quarter move to the lead, but backed it off and settled back into the two-hole. They went by the half mile in :57.4.
Gendron just waited, and at the three-quarters pole (1:26.3) he had YS Tallia out of the pocket and scooting to the lead. She kept on truckin’ on in the stretch to win by three and one-quarter lengths in 1:54.3. Lune Bleu finished second with Vee Breeze (who was driven by Pascal Berube) third.
A five-year-old mare by Western Ideal, YS Tallia is trained by Michel Allard and bred and owned by Yves Sarrazin of La Presentation. She paid $2.10 to win.
In second division (Race 5) for older horses, Kinnder Jackson and driver Justin Filion sped away to the early lead, while McKinney sat the pocket to the 27-second quarter pole.
Filion and Kinnder Jackson led the field through the half mile in :56.2, as which point Rose Run Slider (Jocelyn Gendron) started up first-over and towed Majo Lou Beka (Jonathan Lachance) second-over.
As they raced down the backstretch, driver Francis Picard pulled the pocket with McKinney and started to come after race leader Kinnder Jackson through the three-quarters in 1:25.2.
McKinney proved to the ultimate strong horse as he took the lead away from Kinnder Jackson as they started down the stretch. McKinney then pulled away for a five and three-quarter length romp in 1:54.4. Kinnder Jackson held for second and Beach Runner A M (Marie Claude Auger) finished third.
The victory was the fourth win of the year for McKinney, who was a prior Quebec champion in 2014. The nine-year-old gelding by Santanna Blue Chip is trained by Francis Richard for Ontario owners Robert Kyle Fellows, Daniel Knechtel and Arpad Szabo. He paid $3.00 to win.
The first division for the horses (Race 2) saw three-time Quebec champion Atomic Million AM lead from start to finish for driver Guy Gagnon. D J Power (Pierre Luc Roy) made a race out of it late, as he came first-over on the final turn and finished second by one length. The time of the mile was 1:56.2. HP Patriote (Jonathan Lachance) was third.
The victory was the second win in four starts this year for Atomic Million AM. The eight-year-old gelding by Million Dollar Cam was bred and is owned and trained by Alain Martin of Gatineau. He paid just $2.20 to win.
The first division for mares (Race 3) saw the 1-2 race favourite, Miss Rockadali and driver Guy Gagnon, grind it out against Imagine Speed (Tyler Jones) to take command after the opening quarter mile in :27.2.
Miss Rockadali then led the field to the half mile marker. At that point, Imagine Speed was sitting a pocket trip while All You Can Dream (Stephane Brosseau) was racing first-over with Lit De Rose (Stephane Gendron) second over.
Imagine Speed began to fade along the backstretch and Brosseau ducked into the two-hole with All You Can Dream at the three quarters pole (1:26.4). That left Lit De Rose first-over and still on the move as they hit the top of the stretch.
Miss Rockadali tried her best but was no match for Lit De Rose, who closed well at the finish to win by one and one quarter lengths in 1:56.1. Miss Rockadaili finished second and All You Can Dream third.
The clocking went down as a lifetime mark for Lit De Rose, a four-year-old mare by Leader Bayama who is trained by Maime Velaye for breeder/owner Guy Corbeil of Mirabel. Lit De Rose was a Quebec champion at H3R at age two in 2017. She paid a handsome $17.70 to win Sunday.
Track Notes: Pascal Berube, Guy Gagnon and Stephane Gendron all had driving doubles Sunday. Live racing will resume next Friday (post time will be at 7:00 p.m.). Featured will be the second round of the Quebec-Bred Series for four-year-old and older trotters. For more information, visit quebectrottingclub.com.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at H3R, click the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)