The news is not really new news as brothers Louis-Philippe Roy and Pierre Luc Roy have been breeding for a few years and have presented several successful products.
The tasks are well distributed as the farm on which newborns are born and raised is the responsibility of Pierre-Luc and his wife Maude Larouche. Once ready, they are sent to Ontario for the first steps and practices, often until the first qualifiers. Then, some of them can be found at home, at Hippodrome 3R, for the opening round of the Future Stars Series.
On Sunday (July 22), 3R will present three divisions of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacing fillies and colts with the Roy brothers having a homebred filly and a homebred colt entered. There are 13 fillies competing in two divisions and seven colts in one division.
The two filly divisions each race for a purse of $7,500 while the lone colt division goes for $10,000. There are three preliminary rounds with the top eight point-earners returning Sunday, Sept. 10 for their $55,000 finals.
The first filly division is the fifth race and features the Roy brothers' Ronda Du Lac (sired by Shadow Play). She starts from post four for driver Pierre-Luc. Jean Allaire co-owns the filly with the two brothers.
"We bought the mare in April 2020 from Dale Hunter,” explained Pierre-Luc. "He is the former Nordiques. She had had a very promising start to her career, but had been injured and had never been the same thereafter. She has a record of 1.52.2. We chose Shadow Play as our progenitor. 'Ronda' was born with us, on the farm, and grew up there. She is a beautiful filly, a beautiful piece as they say and she also has a good head.”
She has been trained and racing at Grand River Raceway, where in her last start she sat a pocket-trip for driver Louis-Philippe and came on to win with ease by 2-3/4 lengths in 2:04.2.
"At 18 months, Louis-Philippe took her back, tamed it, prepared it and qualified it twice,” explained Pierre-Luc. “For me, it will be Sunday, a very first contact in the sulky. She arrived last weekend. I can't wait for that moment to drive her. After all, she is a filly that Maude and I cared for, for several months.”
Ronda Du Lac takes on return winner Dream A Freight (by Jimmy Freight) from post five and YS La Belle Vie (by Bettors Delight) in post one.
The second filly division is the seventh race where return winner and post one Breedingbankrupsy (by Sportswriter) takes on Premiere Passion (sired by Windfall Blue Chip) in post six and Wicked Discovery (by McWicked) from post seven.
In the ninth race, seven colts will occupy the track and Olaf Du Lac (by Sportswriter) will be the favourite, again for the Roy brothers.
"It's an offshoot of Norvena Hanover,” said Pierre-Luc. “Which we no longer have. He is the half-brother of Jafar Du Lac (p,3, 1:59.1H). He is an energetic foal, who likes challenges. He has a lot of speed. Louis-Philippe qualified him twice at Grand River. It will also be for me a first contact on the sulky.
“We also acquired a broodmare called My Lucky Word during the winter,” added Pierre-Luc. “She is pregnant with Trixton, but since she spent the winter with us, her offspring will be eligible in Quebec. Maude and I are also involved in the two-year-old Anne Sue, who won a Grassroots on Monday in Mohawk."
'Olaf,' according to the morning odds, will have to fight Dream Choice, a Courtly Choice trained by Sylvain Tremblay.
Most of the colts and fillies entered on Sunday have only one or two qualifying races, but often not a single real race.
And that's how the peak racing season at 3R is in full swing. Lovers of young horses are served at will and horsepeople, they are actively preparing the succession.
Post time is 12 p.m. for the 10-race card.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)