Rookies were the stars of the show Tuesday at Hippodrome Trois Rivieres, as the half-mile oval hosted $5,000 eliminations for the Elevage Quebecois.
Just four trotting fillies squared off in their elimination which was held prior to the card as a non-wagering affair, and Uliane Bayama came away victorious thanks to her track record-equalling performance in 2:04.3. The daughter of Striking Sahbra-Keliane Bayama matched the track standard established by SOS Preference on October 24, 1993.
Yves Filion hustled Uliane Bayama to the lead from Post 3 and the Bayama Farms Inc’s homebred led the field through panels of :31, 1:02.4 and 1:34 before using a :30.3 final frame to match the track record. Runner-up Soyouthinkucantrot was three lengths in arrears, with Tracy Drummond a distant third.
It was a maiden-breaking win for the Justin Filion trainee, who now boasts a 1-2-2 record from just six freshman assignments. She’s stashed away more than $21,000 to date.
Trotting colts and geldings kicked off the pari-mutuel program, and Offson gave the father/son duo of driver Yves Filion and trainer Justin Filion their second winner of the evening. The son of Majestic Son-Offspring Dream front-stepped through intervals of :30.1, 1:02.4 and 1:35.1 before using a :30.4 kicker to seal the deal by 2-1/4 lengths in 2:06. Ken P V was second best, with Canbec Kennedy grabbing the show dough.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, Offson celebrated the first win of his career in what was his fifth lifetime start for owner/breeder Jacques Damours of Laval, QC.
Pacing fillies sparred in a set of eliminations, and Eloge went coast-to-coast in her assignment in a time of 1:58.4 for driver Simon Allard. He asked the 2-5 favourite to lay down fractions of :29, :59.2 and 1:29.1 before unleashing a :29.3 final frame en route to notching the three-length tally over Shanghai Gadgette. Marina Desbi was a well-beaten third.
Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, QC owns and trains the daughter of No Pan Intended-Missthrill who found her way to the winner’s circle for the second consecutive start. She owns a 2-1-1 record and has banked more than $7,800 in her first five outings.
Allard and Corbeil took the other pacing filly division with Shanghai Mimi, who led every step of the way en route to the 2:00.2 triumph. She went to the front and threw down panels of :29.2, 1:00.3 and 1:31.1 before scooting home in :29.1. She was a length better than Ulla Bayama, with race favourite Active Panic finishing third.
It was a maiden-breaking win for Hudson Standrdbrd Stb Inc’s homebred daughter of Shanghai Phil-Canaco Nuget. She’s put together a 1-0-1 record in her first three assignments while banking $3,232 along the way.
Two eliminations also went postward for the colt and gelding pacers, with SOS Grappa drawing first blood. The son of Shanghai Phil-Shot Glass battled Canbec Kameron to the quarter pole in :29 before releasing that foe to the top. Canbec Kameron clicked off middle splits of :59 and 1:29.1, but SOS Grappa used a :29.3 closing quarter to win by 1-1/2 lengths over race favourite Royal Beauty A L. Canbec Kameron faded to finish third.
Jocelyn Gendron mapped out the winning trip for the Herman Gagne trainee, who has put together a flashy record of 4-0-2 in his first seven assignments for Aurel Harvey Et Fils Inc of Riviere-Malbaie, QC. The $2,500 payday boosted his earnings to $5,048
Machtothemoon went winless in his first four outings, but he extended his winning streak to three-in-a-row thanks to his track record-setting tally in the second elimination for the colt and gelding pacers. Denis St. Pierre hustled the Colin Johnson-trained son of Mach Three-Flyingtomoon Rayno through fractions of :30.1, 1:01.3 and 1:31.4 before using a :28.2 closing panel to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 2:00.1 over The Real One. Snipper Phil took home the bronze medal.
The speedy performance erased the former track record for two-year-old pacing gelding's set by Duc Dantan on July 8, 2003.
Bred and owned by Sotirios Anastasopoulos of Saint-Therese, QC, Machtothemoon now owns a 3-0-2 record from just seven trips postward. The lion’s share of Tuesday’s purse lifted his lifetime earnings to $10,100.
Hippodrome Trois Rivieres will host the $15,000 Elevage Quebecois finals for the two-year-olds on Tuesday, September 18.
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Hippodrome Trois Rivieres.