They tried pressing him three-wide from the start to the opening quarter to no avail, they tried passing him by in the backstretch and nearly got it done, but there was no catching Hall Win as the three-year-old colt wired the field at the Hippodrome 3R Friday afternoon in the Breeders Trophy Series.
This was the second round of the series for three-year-old trotting colts and fillies.
The third race saw Hall Win and trainer-driver Kevin Maguire go to the early lead from post three, but content on getting to the front was Archimed Alpha (Pascal Berube) and three-wide and trying was Emotions Riches (Stephane Gendron).
Hall Win ended up stuffing Archimed Alpha into the two-hole and Emotions Riches third as they passed the opening quarter mile in :29.1. They raced to the half in 1:00.3 with Gendron coming first over with Emotions Riches and those two put the pressing on Hall Win, getting to the lead briefly but unable to cross over by the three-quarters in 1:30.1.
From there Hall Win and Maguire held the field at bay and came home an easy winner by one and three-quarter lengths in 2:01.2. Emotions Riches held for second place with Archimed Alpha third.
Sired by Angus Hall, it was the second straight win and fifth victory of the season for Hall Win. He was bred and is owned by the Maguire Stable of Sainte-Marie and paid $4.10 to win.
X O X O continued her dominance of the three-year-old trotting filly division of the Breeders Trophy Series as she sped to an easy 2:02 triumph in the seventh race.
Owned, bred and driven to victory by Jerome Lombart of Bromont, X O X O shot to the early lead and was up by six lengths on the field by the opening quarter mile. X O X O continued her big lead to the half mile and it was then that Mag N Lady (Jean Francois Maguire) got into gear and caught up to X O X O by the three-quarters.
But that gain was short lived on the final turn as Lombart gave Z O X O her head and she trotted away to a two and three-quarter length triumph. Mag N Lady held for second place with SOS Mya (Daniel Laflamme) third.
Sired by Angus Hall, X O X O is trained by Andreane Lapierre and she paid $2.80 to win. It was her sixth win this season, all at H3R and that ties her with Platine Alpha as the two winningest horses this season.
Sophies Cam (Pierre Luc Roy) upset the field in the Preferred Pace for the mares Friday, wiring the field in the eighth race by three lengths in 1:58.3. She went off at odds of 18-1 and paid $38.50 to win.
The Breeders Trophy Series continues on Sunday (post time 12:10 p.m.) with the second leg of the series for the three-year-old pacing colts and fillies. There are two divisions for each class featuring opening round winners Platine Alpha, Celia Bayama and Cadillac Bayama.
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.