A packed house was on hand at Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (Sept. 11) for the richest day of racing in all of Quebec as the track hosted the $480,000 Quebec-Bred Championship finals for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy ruled the day, winning five races, including four Championships. It was just one year ago that he also won five races on the same stakes day.
Roy teamed up for two of his Championship titles with Francis Richard, who ended the day with a training triple. Robert Shepherd had a driving hat trick on the card while combining with trainer Isabelle Darveau for a pair of Championship wins. Jean-Francois Maguire and Maxime Velaye also had training doubles.
The record for total track handle was also rewritten on Sunday with $267,818 wagered on the 12-race program. The prior record was $255,346 set on December 28, 1999 for 12 races.
Here is a synopsis of the stakes finals and Invitational races:
$55,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Two-Year-Old Trotting Fillies
Driver Robert Shepherd was able to come first-over in the backstretch and then lead the rest of the race with HP Run For Dan holding off the pocket-sitting favourite, Tite Beer En Mass (Louis-Philippe Roy), to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 2:02.3. Kenogami Courage (Stephane Brosseau) was third.
It was a lifetime mark and the second career win from six starts for HP Run For Dan. The Alarm Detector-HP Run Like Mom filly is trained by Isabelle Darveau and was bred by Claude Hamel, Danielle Fournier and Rene Bourassa. She is owned by Hamel and Fournier. HP Run For Dan paid $5.10 to win.
“I just hoped she would stay trotting,” said Shepherd. “Once we were past the first quarter, I knew we were pretty safe and could go for the lead.”
$65,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Three-Year-Old Trotting Colts
Royalty Beer (pictured above) was the 2021 Quebec champion at age two and is now the 2022 champion as well. With Louis-Philippe Roy in the sulky, the Royalty For Life-Beer Maggs gelding not only wired the field, but blew everyone away after the three-quarters, winning by 9-1/2 lengths in a lifetime best 1:58.2. Sammy Justice (Pascal Berube) was second with Kenogami Rebel (Stephane Brosseau) third.
The win was Royalty Beer’s fourth win of the year from 14 starts. He is trained by Jean-Francois Maguire, who co-owns with breeder Ecuries Maguire Inc. Royalty Beer paid just $2.10 to win as part of the favoured entry.
$65,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies
After favourite Stella Alpha (Pascal Berube) broke stride on the first turn going for the lead, La Bromontoise (Jerome Lombart) took command of the race with HP Felicity and driver Robert Shepherd sitting in the two-hole until the backstretch when they pulled the pocket and had the lead by the three-quarters. HP Felicity went on to win by 3-3/4 lengths in 2:01.4. La Bromontoise was second and Stella Alpha came back to finish third.
The win was the third this year from 14 starts for HP Felicity, a homebred daughter of Muscle Mass out of Canaco Runner who is trained by Isabelle Darveau for owners Claude Hamel and Michel Damphousse. She paid $6 to win as the 2-1 second choice.
$55,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Two-Year-Old Pacing Colts
Albert Alpha picked the perfect time to break his maiden for driver Pascal Berube and trainer Sylvain Tremblay. After his first six starts including a string of runner-up finishes, the Hes Watching-Stirling Breeze colt fashioned a front-end victory in 2:00.4. Albert Alpha was able to hold off the late charge of the pocket-sitting favourite, Kingston Panic (Louis-Philippe Roy), to win by a neck. The runner-up's entrymate, the Francis Richard stable's Kansas Panic (Robert Shepherd), was third.
Albert Alpha is a homebred for Tremblay’s Ecurie Alpha and co-owners Anne Marie Demers, Yves Laprise and Yvon Laprise. He was the first non-favourite to score on card and paid $12.30 to win.
$65,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Three-Year-Old Pacing Fillies
Louis-Philippe Roy made it a driving triple on the day as he sent favourite Shes Rockandfame right to the lead from the inside post and held the top spot the entire race, holding off the pocket-sitting 27-1 shot Godiva Me Amour (Robert Shepherd) by half a length, with 45-1 shot Sports Impression (Daniel Dube) third in the photo. The time of the race was 1:59.2.
Trained by Francis Richard, Shes Rockandfame earned her fourth win from 11 starts this year. Bred by Lise Carbonneau, the Hes Watching-Southern Rock filly is owned by Investissement K F B and Andre St Laurent. She paid $3.10 to win.
$55,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Two-Year-Old Trotting Colts
Daniel Dube did not make the trip from New Jersey to 3R to go home without at least one win on the day and he did it with Timonier, who led from start to finish in a 5-1/2-length romp in 2:00.3. Auguste (Pascal Berube) was second with Kinnder Thinktwice (Stephane Brosseau) third.
Timonier, who is trained by Jacques Dupont for breeder and owner Jean Dessureault, has now won half of his eight starts. The Lookslikeachpndale-Kascara Rosa gelding paid $3.10 to win as the betting favourite.
$55,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Two-Year-Old Pacing Fillies
Louis-Philippe Roy put on a show with his homebred filly Pocahontas Du Lac, a daughter of Betterthancheddar out of the Art Major mare Sheissuchadream. Race favourite Y S Poisson Davril (Daniel Dube) cut the mile while Roy moved Pocahontas Du Lac first-over from third at the midway mark. Chasing after Y S Poisson Davril, they raced neck and neck past the three-quarters before Pocahontas Du Lac pulled away to win by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:57. Make Bet SBG (Stephane Brosseau) completed a 1-2 finish for trainer Francis Richard. Godiva Shadow Girl (Robert Shepherd) finished third over Y S Poisson Davril.
Earlier this week, Roy said, “I believe 'Pocahontas' will show us a little more speed than she did in her elims.” And he was most certainly on the mark with the filly taking a new lifetime record.
Pocohontas Du Lac earned her fourth win from nine starts. Roy co-owns the filly with brother Pierre-Luc Roy and partners Maude Larouche and Jean Allaire. She paid $13.20 to win.
$65,000 Quebec-Bred Championship - Three-Year-Old Pacing Colts
Louis-Philippe Roy always puts on a show when he returns to 3R and he did it for sure in this final. Leaving from post eight with Aladdin, he was able to cut the mile, hold off a determined first-over bid by HP Momentum (Colin Kelly) and scoot away for a 3-1/4-length triumph in 1:55.1. Jack Panic (Robert Shepherd) was second with HP Momentum third.
The win was the fourth straight and seventh victory of the year from 10 starts for Aladdin, who is trained by Maxime Velaye for owner/breeder Guy Corbeil. The Shadow Play-Eloge gelding paid $6.80 to win.
Invitationals
There were three $10,000 Invitational races on Sunday's undercard. In the trot, four-time Quebec champion Capteur De Reve and driver Stephane Brosseau lead the field from the start and barely held off the pocket-sitting Run Like Hill (Louis-Philippe Roy) by a nose in 1:57. Frido PV (Robert Shepherd) was third.
The victory was the sixth straight for Capteur De Reve, who returned $4.10 as the race favourite. A 38-time career winner, the eight-year-old Muscle Mass-Nobeless gelding is trained by Maxime Velaye for owner/breeder Ecurie Provoquante.
In the Invitational Pace, Rideau Carleton Raceway invader The Light Speed made the most of his inside starting position for trainer/driver Guy Gagnon and led from start to finish in 1:54. The pocket-sitting Chantee (Louis-Philippe Roy) finished 1-1/2 lengths behind in second with Major Hill (Pascal Berube) third.
The win was the second straight and 10th of the year from 26 starts for The Light Speed. The four-year-old Moon Beam-Jayma gelding is owned by breeder Michel Nolette. He paid $3 to win as the wagering favourite.
Twin B Betty and driver Robert Shepherd wired the field to close out the rich card, winning the Invitational for pacing mares by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:54.2. The pocket-sitting Platine Alpha (Pascal Berube) was second with Coz Im Special (Michel Lagace) third.
The win was the third this year from 25 starts for the Bettors Delight-Up Front Alea mare trained by Jean-Francois Maguire, who shares ownership with 9299 0522 Quebec Inc. and Julie Malenfant. Twin B Betty paid $6.50 to win as the bettors' choice.
Live harness racing is scheduled to resume next Sunday, Sept. 18 at 12 noon.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)