She is the not the fastest two-year-old trotting filly currently in harness racing, but Stella Alpha stays on gait and improves in speed with every start as she posted her third straight win Friday with an easy score in the opening round of the Future Stars Series at the Hippodrome 3R.
Lune Duharas and driver Denis Gueriel were first on the lead but that was short-lived as Pascal Berube had Stella Alpha on the move and the daughter of Royalty For Life took command by the opening quarter mile in :30.4.
She then held the field at bay for Berube, going to the half mile in 1:03.1 and the three-quarters in 1:34.4 before breezing home an easy winner by one and one-half lengths in 2:05. Lune Duharas was second with LA Surprenante (Simon Delisle) third.
Conditioned by H3R’s leading trainer, Sylvain Tremblay, Stella Alpha is from the Muscle Mass mare, Éclair Chocolat. She was bred and is owned by Tremblay’s Alpha Stable of Metabetchouan and paid $9.20 to win.
In the ninth race colt division, Royalty Beer, also sired by Royalty For Life, also led from start to finish in a romp for driver Kevin Maquire.
Cutting fractions of :30.4, 1:03.1 and 1:34.1, Royalty Beer won by nine and one-half lengths in 2:04.3. Sammy Justice (Pascal Berube) was second with Kenogami Rebel (Stephane Brosseau) third.
It was the first win in two lifetime starts for Royalty Beer. He is trained by Jean Francois Maguire for the Maguire Stable of Sainte-Marie, who also bred the colt. He paid $2.30 to win.
Kiss Me Bad was given a perfect drive by Steven Gagnon in the second race Preferred-Handicap Mares Pace as the five-year-old daughter of Badlands Hanover powered by Fern Hill Bella (Carol Voyer) in the stretch to win by a neck in 1:56. Buckingham (Jocelyn Gendron) was third.
It was the first win in eight starts and a lifetime mark for Kiss Me Bad. She is trained and owned by Steven Gagnon of Sorel Tracy and paid $6.30 to win.
Leading driver Pascal Berube had the hot hands once again, scoring a driving triple while leading trainer Sylvain Tremblay had a double.
Live harness racing resumes at H3R on Sunday with a new first race post time of 12:10 pm. The Future Stars Series is the main feature with the first round for the two-year-old pacing colts and fillies competing.
For a free race program, visit www.hippodrome3r.ca.
(Quebec Jockey Club)
To view results for Friday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Friday Results – Hippodrome 3R.