The opening round of the $220,000 Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacing colts and fillies at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (July 23) provided for plenty of excitement for racing fans.
In the third race, $7,500 first division of the Future Stars Series for colts, the 6-5 race favourite, Lucky Match (Yves Filion), made a break at the start and was never a factor in the race. It was Chloes Master and driver Steeven Genois shooting right to the lead from post five, then stuffing Power Fog (Jocelyn Gendron) into the pocket seat at the opening quarter mile in :29.2.
Genois was then able to back down the pace to the 1:00.4 half-mile. Then in the backstretch, Gendron came out to challenge again to no avail as after the 1:31 three-quarters, Genois was able to open up on the field with Chloes Master and win by three and one-quarter lengths in 2:01.1. Leader Tonight (Mario Charron) was second with Power Fog third.
It was the maiden victory for Chloes Master, a gelded son of Vintage Master, who is a half-brother to Quebec champion two-year-old Queen Elsa, a $45,000 winner last year. He is being trained by Michel Allard for owner and Trois-Rivieres native Daniel Dube, one of the top harness racing drivers in the sport. Dube and Guy Boulianne also bred Chloes Master, who paid $6.30 to win.
In the fourth race, second colt division of the series, it was all Stock and driver Stephane Brosseau, easily leading from start to finish.
After the :59.1 half-mile marker, the colt by Sportswriter opened up on the field, leading by six lengths at the 1:28.3 three-quarters and then coasting to the wire by 10 and one-quarter lengths in 1:58.1. G A Speed Sammy (Alain Carrier) was second with Phil Dorleans (Louis-Philippe Roy) third.
Trained by Dany Fontaine for breeder Sotirios Anastasopoulos, who co-owns Stock with Gaetan Bono Stable, the colt earned his second straight win to remain unbeaten. He paid $2.90 to win.
The fillies provided big excitement in the sixth race, first division as Sharks Summrshandy (Sylvain Lacaille) went to the early lead with Keesha (Marc Belanger) challenging and then Liisawithtwoeyes (Louis-Philippe Roy) going three-wide to take command.
Then after the 1:01 half-mile, the 3-5 race favourite, Katniss S BG and trainer/driver Yves Filion, who had broken stride at the start, came first-over with 15-1 La Balafre (Stephane Brosseau) following second-over, but the pace was not fast enough for Brosseau as he took La Balafre three-wide to take the lead and then pull away in the stretch to win by two lengths in 2:01.2. Katniss S BG was second with Sharksummrshandy third.
It was a maiden victory for La Balafre, a daughter of L H Stryker trained by Jean Tourigny for owner Michel Damphousse. She paid $33.30 to win.
The seventh race, second division for fillies was just as exciting as the first.
The 3-5 race favourite, Butterfly BG and driver Stephane Gendron went to the early lead with Miss Rockadali (Yves Filion) grabbing the two-hole spot by the opening quarter-mile in a quick :28.4.
They raced that way to the 1:01.2 half-mile marker when 22-1 D Gs Shadowsbell and driver Jonathan Lachance came first-over to challenge with Road To Lea (Stephane Brosseau) second-over.
As they raced down the backstretch to the 1:31.2 three-quarters, Brosseau tried the same move that won the prior race with La Balafre, sending Road To Lea three-wide and the filly nearly cleared to the lead on the field turn, setting up three horses across as they came down the stretch.
D Gs Shadowsbell, who most would think would be tired after racing first-over since the half-mile, dug in for Lachance and came on to win by one and one-half lengths in 2:01.3 with Butterfly BG second and Road To Lea third.
Trained by Mario Lachance, D Gs Shadowsbell is by Shadow Play and was bred and is owned by Daniel Surprenant. She paid $46 to win.
It took until the eighth race, $8,000 Invitational for top driver Louis-Philippe Roy to bring one home.
After being stung by Arazi (Mario Charron) to the opening quarter-mile in :27, Sports Authority and driver Pierre-Luc Roy cleared to the lead before the half-mile in :55.
But there was little rest for the weary as young brother Louis-Philippe Roy was on the move first-over with race favourite Half A Billion.
Those two then went head-to-head by the three-quarters in 1:24 before Half A Billion cleared to the lead and won by one and one-half lengths in 1:54.2. Rainbow Palace (Francis Picard) nipped Sports Authority for second-place.
It was the seventh straight win this year for Half A Billion, who paid $3.10 to win.
At St-Joseph-De-Lepage racetack in Quebec yesterday, Abundasass broke the 55-year-old track record on the trot when he won for 3R's leading driver, Stephane Brosseau, in 2:03.1. The former track record was set by Anne Gallon in 1962.
The 10-year-old Abundance gelding, trained by Marc Andre Simoneau and co-owned by Francis Guillemette, is a familiar name to 3R fans.
On July 1, he won at St-Hughes; the next day he won in at 3R. A winner at St-Hughes again on July 8, he made his next start at 3R on July 18, finishing fifth after being elevated to the Invitational-Silver class.
Coming up this Tuesday at 3R is the last Tuesday night live race program of the season. Post time is 7 p.m.
There will be one Wednesday night live program on August 16, when 3R hosts a leg of the World Driving Championship. Post time will be 7 p.m.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from QJC)