Harness racing fans will enjoy a big weekend of racing action at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres, Que., headlined by the finals of the Quebec-Bred Series for older trotters and pacers.
Live racing starts Friday at 4 p.m., with a nine-race program.
The first race is the feature pace where 3R’s leading trainers this season, Marc-Andre Simoneau with 10 wins and Louis-Philippe Turcotte with eight, have top contenders. (Maxime Velaye, tied for second place in the trainer standings, has no horses entered on Friday.)
Turcotte has entered Super FM, the 5-2 morning line favourite who starts from post seven and is the lone return winner in the field. Last week, the son of Betterthancheddar journeyed first-over and was able to win in 1:57.1. He will have Pascal Berube in the sulky.
Simoneau has Goldinthebadlands starting from post five at 4-1 and the eight-year-old chestnut son of Badlands Hanover also comes into the race off an impressive first-over mile, when he finished third. Stephane Brosseau will drive.
There is now a three-way battle in the driver standings with Pascal Berube (21 wins) just one ahead of Stephane Brosseau (20) and Jocelyn Gendron in the hunt with 17 wins.
Come Sunday at 12 noon at 3R, there will be three $30,000 finals of the Quebec-Bred Series for older trotters and pacers.
The trotters (horses and mares) will face off in race four where Frido PV is the 5-2 morning line favourite from post six with driver Jonathan Lachance in the sulky for trainer Yves St Jacques. Last week in the series, he made an uncharacteristic break at the start of the race and finished last. Prior to that, the six-year-old son of Muscle Mass was on a three-race win streak.
The tough entry from trainer Maxime Velaye of Ciel Bleu (post four, Stephane Brosseau) and Capteur De Reve (post seven, Guy Gagnon) will be taking on the favourite. Capteur De Reve is going for an unprecedented fifth championship title.
The final for the pacing mares is the eighth race where Kiss Me Bad is the slight favourite at 5-2 on the morning line after being parked out last week and finishing second by three-quarters of a length for trainer/driver Steven Gagnon. The seven-year-old Badlands Hanover mare drew post six for the final.
Last week’s winner, the Jean-Francois Reid trainee Celia Bayama (Stephane Brosseau), drew post one after wiring the field in 1:56.2.
The last final for the pacing horses is the 10th race and the 5-2 favourite is The Light Speed, who has won back-to-back races and six of his last eight starts. The five-year-old Moon Beam gelding is trained and driven by Guy Gagnon and will start from post seven.
His rival, post six starter Aladdin, will look to rebound for Stephane Brosseau and Maxime Velaye after finishing fourth last week in the final preliminary round of the series.
For free race programs, visit hippodrome3r.ca.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)