La Petite Grise continued her winning ways Friday afternoon at the Hippodrome 3R, notching her fifth win in just eight starts this season, scoring an easy win in the Preferred Handicap Mares Pace.
The only horse handicapped in the race was La Petite Grise, who had to start from the far outside in post eight for driver Pascal Berube.
The seventh race feature got underway with Platine Alpha (Jimmy Gagnon) and Bettimontheriver (Jocelyn Gendron) duking it out for the early lead with Gagnon forcing Gendron to take the pocket seat into a :28.3 first quarter.
Then Platine Alpha made a bad break, nearly falling to the ground, but Gagnon held her together as Gendron was able to clear by them miraculously with Bettimontheriver.
After the incident, Berube came first-over with race favourite La Petite Grise, and cleared to the front, taking the field to the half mile in an easy :59.2.
Then Sieras Rose (Pierre-Luc Roy) came first-over to challenge with Kiss Me Bad (Steven Gagnon) second-over and then coming three-wide in the backstretch was Fancy Girl and driver Francis Picard. The three-quarters was 1:29.1 and that was it for La Petite Grise.
She turned on the burners for Berube, pulled away from the field and crossed the wire winning by one and one-quarter lengths in 1:58.4. Bettimontheriver was second with Kahlua Morning (Kiwon Waldron) third.
With her five wins, La Petite Grise is now tied with Windsun Cheyenne and Stella Alpha as the winningest horses this season at H3R.
A four-year-old mare by Sportswriter, La Petite Grise is trained and co-owned by Fernand Jodoin with Michel Letendre. She paid $4.60 to win.
Starting this Sunday, the Hippodrome 3R will begin featuring a live race program on the radio. Starting at 11:50 a.m. each Sunday on Montreal Sports Radio 91.9 FM, hosted by Sophie Mongeon, will feature live interviews with commentary about the live racing card and interviews with the race drivers through 1:50 p.m. for the next five Sundays. Does Ms. Mongeon know anything about harness racing? Well considering her godfather was the great Herve Filion, she knows about racing.
Pierre-Luc Roy, the older brother of racing great Louis-Philippe Roy, returned to the races at H3R in winning form, driving 7-1 Kinnder Dangerzone (Northern Escort) to a lifetime mark of 1:59.3 in the first race. It was Kinnder Dangerzone’s first win in nearly two years for owner, trainer and breeder Denitza Petrova. Roy and Francis Picard each scored a driving double.
Live racing resumes at H3R on Sunday with first race post time at 12 p.m.
(Quebec Jockey Club)