Brittany Farms homebred Western Fame ($14.80) made easy work of fours-on favourite Sintra and six other rivals to capture the $200,000 Prix d’Été for four-year-old pacers on Sunday afternoon (August 20) at Hippodrome 3R.
Trevor Henry put the Western Ideal entire in play from post five with no hesitation, assertively sprinting clear of Awesomeness (James MacDonald) and Roll Away Joe (Louis-Philippe Roy) before reaching the first turn. After controlling early splits of :27.1 and :56.3, Western Fame dug in up the far side to turn aside a first-over challenge from Dr J Hanover (Doug McNair), who was parked from the outset. With five-sixteenths to go, Sintra (Jody Jamieson) mounted a three-wide bid to try to circle Dr J Hanover, but only mustered mild progress before flattening on the final turn. Meanwhile, Western Fame kept to his task past the 1:25 three-quarter split, evading a late challenge from pocket rival Awesomeness to prevail in 1:53.2. Roll Away Joe reached third up the open stretch, while Lyons Snyder (Daniel Dubé) was a ground-saving fourth.
“When we turned up the backstretch, I knew Jody was going to be coming with the favourite (Sintra), and he’s got a really quick foot to him,” Henry said following the win aboard Western Fame. “Once I got to the next turn, and he was still out there three-wide, I knew I had him beat and I felt pretty confident.”
driver Trevor Henry, and Quebec Jockey Club president Claude Levesque.
Jimmy Takter trains Western Fame, whose career earnings increased to $730,416 with his tenth career victory.
A pair of $7,500 preliminary events for each of the Coupe de l’Avenir events for two-year-old pacing fillies and freshman pacing colts and geldings either sired or bred in Québec led the undercard.
In the first division for colts and geldings (race four), prohibitive favourite Stock ($2.10, Stephane Brosseau) made all the pace, evading G A Speed Sammy (Stephane Gendron) for a 1:56.1 score, his fourth in five career starts. The second division (race nine) saw El Muchacho ($5.90) assume the lead up the far side after stalking a speed duel and hold Challenge Magic (Brosseau) at bay in 2:01.1 for his third career win in six starts to date.
Katniss S BG ($3.40, Yves Filion) dominated in the first filly division (race six), pushing clear from her outside post just after completing the first quarter mile and drawing away to a 6-3/4 triumph in 2:03.2. The win was her second in three career starts, all in the Coupe de l’Avenir series. The victorious filly in the second division (race 11) proved just as dominant – Lit De Rose ($4.10, Daniel Dubé) amassed 8-1/4 lengths of clearance over the field in a 1:59.1 victory, her second straight after a win at Rideau Carleton Raceway last week.
To view Sunday’s harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.