The third and final preliminary round of the Québec-Bred Series for pacers four-years-old and up, will take place on Sunday (July 2) at Hippodrome 3R after unacceptable air quality last Sunday forced the cancellation of the original planned date for the event.
The top performers from among the older pacers and trotters in their preliminaries will come back for their $30,000 Championships next Sunday, July 9.
The $6,500 third race final preliminary for mares finds the only double winner in the prelims, Kiss Me Bad, starting from post four in a field of seven for owner/trainer/driver Steven Gagnon. The daughter of Badlands Hanover and Lili GL both won their first prelims. Last week, when only one elim was needed, Kiss Me Bad came first-over and still defeated Lili GL by 2-1/4 lengths. Those two are respectively the first and second choices in the morning line; third choice is Celia Bayama, champion of her two-year-old class in 2020, who was second to Kiss Me Bad the first week and did not race last week.
No one was able to post two victories in the eliminations for the male pacers, as Aladdin and The Light Speed trading victories. With The Light Speed not racing at 3R on Sunday, the favourite’s role in Sunday’s $6,500 fifth race elim has gone to Aladdin, a Shadow Play gelding driven by Stephane Brosseau for trainer Maxime Velaye and owner Guy Corbeil. The champion of his three-year-old class last season, Aladdin posted the fastest time of 2023 at 3R with a 1:54.2 in the first preliminary round. Entrants Stock (2017) and D Gs De Vito (2019) have put together championship seasons and hope to gain another chance next Sunday.
This is the first year of the Quebec program returning after a three-year absence, and the races have been a welcome addition to the already-hard-knocking scene at the central Québec oval.
The feature for non-Series pacing participants is the $6,500 Preferred Handicap slotted for race nine, with a field of nine slated to go the gate. The early favourite role has been assigned to Belechick, a shipper from Ontario who begins from post five for driver Maxime Dinelle and trainer Andre Champagne. Siddhartha, first or second in his last six starts against the best 3R has to offer, will have to contend with the sometimes-tricky trailing post nine for driver Stephane Brosseau and trainer Louis Phillippe Turcotte.
First post on Sunday will be at 12 p.m. noon. For a free race program, visit hippodrome3r.ca.
To view Sunday's entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(QJC)