The weather was ideal, the horses were at their best and thus four track records were rewritten at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday in the second round of the Quebec-Bred Series for two-year-old pacers and trotters.
And for driver Denis St Pierre, it was a banner afternoon as he drove the winners in three of the track records set.
The track record setting day began in the second race, $7,500 Quebec-Bred Series for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Kinnder Elegance, the race favourite, did not disappoint betting fans as St Pierre sent the daughter of Allamerican Native to the front, grabbing the lead by the opening quarter mile in :28.4. They then led to the half-mile in :58.3 as rival Anna Santanna (Marie Auger) started up first over to challenge.
Going to the three-quarters in 1:27.4, Kinnder Elegance held her ground as Anna Santanna kept gaining ground. Then in a dramatic stretch drive, Kinnder Elegance barely held on at the wire to win by a neck over Anna Santanna with First Girl (Maxim Gaudreault) third.
The time of the race was 1:57.4 and that erased the 24-year old track record of 1:58.2 that was set by Caressa. It was a lifetime mark for Kinnder Elegance and her second win in three lifetime starts. She was bred and is owned and trained by Denitza Petrova of Les Cedres, Que.
The very next race was the first of two divisions of the series for trotting fillies and feeling her oats was National Trace for driver St Pierre. The daughter of Taurus Dream went right out to the lead and gave live cover to C L Magic Road (Marie Auger) through fractions of :29.3, 1:01.1 and 1:32.1 to the three-quarters.
Then in the stretch, Auger sent C L Magic Road after National Trace, but it was not good enough as St. Pierre kept his filly going for a one-quarter length triumph in 2:03.2. Champagne Panic (Denis Filion) was third.
That clocking rewrote the 21-year old track record for two-year-old trotting fillies in a pari-mutuel race that had been originally set by SOS Preference back in 1993 and had been equalled by Uliane Bayama in 2012.
For National Trace, it was her maiden victory in her fifth lifetime start. The filly, trained by Danny Fontaine, was bred and is owned by Ecurie Gaetan Bono, Inc. of Montreal, Que. She paid $7.80 to win.
Then came the fourth race, which was the second Quebec-Bred Series division for two-year-old trotting fillies and it went identical to the previous race.
Race favourite Meganou and driver Jocelyn Gendron went out to the early lead with Promesses Imperial (Jerome Lombart) grabbing the two-hole trip from post seven and they went to the opening quarter mile in :30.2.
Then by the half-mile marker in a slow 1:03.1, Sunrise Linda and driver/trainer Yves Filion decided to have a go at Meganou and came first-over and by the three-quarters in 1:33.1 it looked like the race would be interesting.
But Gendron would have none of that as he asked his filly for more and she pulled away from the rest of the field and won in a romp by six and one-half lengths over Sunrise Linda and Promesses Imperial.
The time of the race you ask? Well it tied the track record that was just set in the prior race, as they also went in 2:03.2.
Sired by Kadabra, Maganou picked up the second win in seven starts this year. She is trained by Daniel Martin and is owned by Jean Picard of Orford, Que. She paid $3.60 to win.
The fourth track record on the day came in the fifth race, Quebec-Bred series division for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
The race started off with an incident as Classic Breeze in post five went off-stride at the very start and interfered with the outside horses.
Grand Galop Semalu and trainer/driver Yves Filion went after the early lead with HP Bushido Dragjet (Stephane Brosseau) grabbing the early pocket seat to the opening quarter-mile in a speedy :27.1.
Sugarsam and driver St Pierre were interfered with at the start and were more than 10 lengths off the leaders in fifth-place when they decided to go first-over.
By the half-mile marker in a mild :59.3, St Pierre had Sugarsam in fourth-place and inching their way towards the front. Then by the three-quarters in 1:27.1, Sugarsam was in third-place and closing the gap as they raced around the final turn.
In a dramatic stretch drive, St Pierre was not only able to keep Sugarsam in contention after his long outside journey, but came on late to win by one and one-half lengths in 1:56.4. Grand Galop Semalu was second with Y S Joe (Jocelyn Gendron) third.
That clocking proved to be another track record as Sugarsam is a gelded son of Sportswriter and his time surpassed the prior freshman gelding track record of 1:57.1 that was set by Atomic Million Am in 2013.
The win was the second in six starts this year for Sugarsam and a lifetime record for trainer Helene Fillion and breeder/owner Sotirios Anastasopoulou of Saint-Theresa, Que. He went off at odds of 16-1 and paid $35.50 to win.
The $300,000 Quebec-Bred Series now had just one more weekend of preliminary competition next Sunday, August 30 and then the top eight point earners in the series will return Sunday, September 7 for the $55,000 finals. On that same day, 3R will also host the four $65,000 finals of the series for three-year-olds.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from QJC)