The two-year-old Quebec-bred trotting filly Chic Choc Rose continued her undefeated racing season on Friday afternoon, Aug. 2 at Hippodrome 3R, winning her division of the Future Stars Series in a romp.
Starting from post two in her $7,500 division for trainer/driver Marie-Claude Auger, Chic Choc Rose went right to the lead and was up by 7-1/2 lengths at the opening quarter-mile in :31.1. Chic Choc Rose continued to hold a commanding lead at the half-mile marker in 1:02.4 and while her closest competitor tried to narrow the gap to three-quarters mark in 1:34, she took off in the stretch, winning in a romp by more than eight lengths in 2:04.2. Soleo (Stephane Brosseau) was second with Gwandalina (Francis Picard) well back in third in the field scratched down to four with one breaker.
Now three-for-three in her young career, the Royalty For Life-Torches Angel filly was bred by Auger, who shares ownership with Catheline Pelletier and Arianne Girard. Chic Choc Rose paid just $2.10 across the board as the overwhelming 1-9 race favourite.
In the other $7,500 division for the trotting fillies, race favourite Miche Charm led from start to finish for driver Guy Gagnon.
Miche Charm left from post one in her division, also scratched to four starters, and cut soft fractions of :32, 1:04 and 1:35.3 en route to the 1-1/4-length triumph in 2:05.4. The pocket-sitting Kinnder Kahina (Robert Shepherd) followed in second with Masoterapeute (Pierre-Marc Longpre) back in third.
Miche Charm, who broke her maiden in her third race, is owned by trainer Jeremy Marcotte and Denis Marcotte. The Muscle Mass-Exquisite Charm filly paid $2.50 to win.
Trainer/driver Jerome Lombart's homebred Im Just A Gigolo was also a wire-to-wire winner in the lone $10,000 Future Stars division for the trotting colts and geldings.
Im Just A Gigolo jumped out to a 9-1/2-length lead early and cut fractions of :30.1, 1:02.1 and 1:33.4 with race favourite Muscle Du Haras (Marie-Claude Auger) sitting the two-hole trip. In the backstretch, Big Bank (Jean-Francios Maguire) went first-over, boxing in Muscle Du Haras and edging ahead of Im Just A Gigolo in the stretch. But Im Just A Gigolo dug in and came back on to win by a half a length over Big Bank ina career-best 2:04.4. Muscle Du Haras was third.
From four career starts, Im Just A Gigolo has earned a pair of wins, both in the series. The Lookslikeachpndale-Promising Lavec colt paid $6.80 to win as the 2-1 second choice.
Im Just A Gigolo's older half sister, the My MVP filly MVPs Daughter, was also a winner on Friday for Lombart, coming off a victory in her stakes series for sophomores last Friday and scoring again in 2:01.
In this week's $6,500 Preferred Handicap Trot, favourite Frido PV (Pascal Berube) cut the fractions of :29.3, :59.4 and 1:29.1, but it was Quebec newcomer Cleveland Massimo and driver Robert Shepherd who prevailed despite getting parked the mile. Trained and co-owned by Jean-Francois Maguire, the five-year-old Muscle Mass-Stonebridge Zoom gelding won in 1:59.2 by two lengths over Rose Run Why Not (William Roy) and X O X O (Denis St. Pierre), with Frido PV fading to fourth. The 8-1 shot paid $19 for the mild upset.
Trainer David Pilon went three-for-three on the 11-race card, teaming with Shepherd for wins with four-year-old pacing mare Mach N Cheddar ($2.20) in the opener then the maiden-breaking three-year-old trotting filly Asrightasrain ($3.80) and four-year-old pacing gelding Granite Beach ($3.90) in the final two races.
In other action, Determination and Guy Corbeil's stakes-winning pacer Enavant made a successful return to the races, winning his first start in just over two years. Under the tutelage of local trainer Maxime Velaye, the eight-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere scored in 1:56.1 with Stephane Brosseau working out the winning trip to defeat pacesetter Little Diamond (William Roy).
Live harness racing resumes on Sunday, Aug. 4 with a 13-race program starting at 12 noon. The second round of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacers will headline the card, featuring the undefeated Justine Ray, who goes for his fourth straight win.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)