This Friday, Sept. 13 is the final Friday twilight harness racing card of the season at Hippodrome 3R.
After Friday’s 10-race card, the track will then race on Sundays only until the end of the race meet on Nov. 24.
The last Friday card features a $6,500 Quebec-bred trot for four-year-old and older mares and horses, and all but one of the horses entered (La Bromontoise) raced just five days ago at 3R in the Invitational Trot on Super Sunday.
And the winner of last Sunday’s Invitational, Royalty Beer, is back for more on Friday.
A winner of $140,000 this year, Royalty Beer will start from the outside post six for driver Pascal Berube. The son of Royalty For Life, a three-time winner this season with seven second-place and four third-place finishes, is the overwhelming morning line favourite at 8-5 odds after his impressive win last week.
Owned, bred and trained by Jean-Francois Maguire of Sainte-Marie, Que., Royalty Beer led from start to finish last week, winning in a romp by 5-1/2 lengths in 1:57.4. It was the 17th career win for the five-year-old gelding.
According to Maguire, Royalty Beer will be racing at 3R through the month of September and then head back to the USA to trainer/driver Patrick Lachance where had raced prior to the summer in Trois Rivieres.
“He will be here for a couple more weeks,” said Maguire. “Just in time to have all the paperwork ready.”
The second choice in the race from post five is Only For Justice for driver Francis Picard and trainer Linda Belanger. Only For Justice beat rival Royalty Beer two starts back by a head in 1:57.3.
Other contenders in the race include Rose Run Why Not (post four), Thats Hooligan (post three), Frido PV (post two) and La Bromontoise (post one).
Post time on Friday is 4 p.m. Coming up on Sunday, 3R will host National Caretaker Appreciation Day, honouring all of the caretakers/grooms of the horses in the industry. Free race programs are available at hippodrome3r.ca.
To view Friday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Friday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)