Unbeaten two-year-old pacing filly Justine Ray crushed her competition with a 9-1/2-length romp in the opening round of the Future Stars Series at Hippodrome 3R on Sunday, July 21.
Justine Ray won the lone $10,000 filly division in the first of three preliminary rounds leading towards the $55,000 final at 3R on Super Sunday, Sept. 8.
From the start it was all Justine Ray as driver Pascal Berube left hard with the filly who started from post five and had the lead at the heading into the first turn. She cut fractions of :29.4, 1:01.1 and 1:32 to the three-quarters, continuing to widen her lead. By the top of the stretch, Justine Ray was up by six lengths, kicked in a :28.1 last quarter-mile and won in a romp by 9-1/2 lengths in 2:00.1. Coeuratout De Lac (Pierre-Luc Roy) was a distant second with Myvaliam (William Roy) third.
Justine Ray established a new lifetime mark in her third career win. The daughter of Shadow Play is trained by Yves St. Jacques for owner Michel Letendre of Saint-Jude, Que. She paid $3.60 to win as the race favourite. Justine Ray is out of the dam Woes Jet City and is a full sister to $448,645 winner Play Jet Ray and a half sister to $114,742 winner Sportjet Ray.
The $10,000 division for the pacing colts had only four horses entered and was held as a non-wagering race. Winchester Phoenix, with driver Stephane Brosseau, led from start to finish with fractions of :30.3, 1:01.3 and 1:32.2 to three-quarters. He then tore loose from the field, winning in a romp by 9-1/2 lengths in 2:03. Koz Im Doc (Robert Shepherd) was second with Greattime Bayama (Yves Filion) third.
Winchester Phoenix scored the maiden-breaking victory in his second career start. The Bettors Delight-Giggle Hanover colt is trained by Dominic Gladu for Quebec owners Francis Dupuis, Les Ecuries Phoenix, Ronald Kelly and Serge Leonard.
Twin B Powerball ($3) and driver Robert Shepherd won the $6,500 Preferred Handicap Pace by one length in 1:55 in the fastest mile of the afternoon for trainer David Pilon. In the matching Preferred Handicap Pace for the fillies and mares, the Michel Allard-trained Rec Time ($5.20), driven by Denis St. Pierre, held off her determined stablemate YS Sensationalcity (William Roy) by a neck in 1:56.4. The win was Rec Time’s second in a row at 3R.
Robert Shepherd scored a driving triple on Sunday. Both Stephane Brosseau and Pascal Berube had driving doubles while Louis-Philippe Turcotte had a training double.
Drivers not frequently in the spotlight made their presence felt at Nouvelle on Saturday afternoon on the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit. Johanne Dechamplain made her fourth lifetime winning drive memorable by guiding American Zestar to a Nouvelle track record 3:00.2 for 1 1/2 miles, breaking the 17-year-old mark of 3:04.4 by Chilito Hanover.
In the amateur drivers event for males, Patrice Dumas got his first win in 39 starts over 12 years with Keystone Prestige in 2:02. The female amateurs provided the fastest mile of the day, 2:00.3, when CL Big Beach necked out Welladvertised in 2:00.3. The winning driver was Nancy Auger, who is a remarkable 26-for-53 in her driving career.
Antoine Desrochers, who had driven four winners in 2024 racing exclusively at 3R, went to Nouvelle and promptly doubled his seasonal total.
Live harness racing resumes at 3R next Friday, July 26 with first race post time at 4 p.m. The second round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old trotters will be the featured event.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)