Hippodrome 3R hosted the championships of the Coupe de l'Avenir for two-year-olds and Trophee des Eleveurs for three-year-olds with $480,000 in purses and eight divisional stakes titles up from grabs on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 14.
There were few surprises with a pair of undefeated freshmen (Bernard, Magic Liam) and three successful defending champions among the stakes winners (Mass Speed, Mirabel Enfete, The Magic Moment). Trainer/driver Guy Gagnon won three finals (Cattlekiss, Abby Rose Men, Magic Liam) while trainer Maxime Velaye and driver Dan Dube teamed up for two trophies (Soleo, Mirabel Enfete). Full recaps follow.
$55,000 Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace
Undefeated Bernard ($2.10) completed a sweep of the Coupe de l'Avenir for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings as he held off Reve in his closest victory to date.
With regular reinsman William Roy in the sulky for trainer Guy Roy, 1-9 favourite Bernard led at every call in the afternoon's first championship while setting fractions of :27.4, :57.2 and 1:27 before holding off the pocket-popping Reve (Dan Dube) by a quarter of a length in career-best 1:56.4 effort. Panic Ray (Sylvain Lacaille) rallied through traffic to round out the top three, finishing eight lengths behind at long odds of 62-1.
The Sportswriter-Armand Spice gelding had won his first six races by more than 23 lengths combined. His seventh victory boosted his bankroll to $42,844 for owners Sabrina Pelletier of Sorel-Tracy, Que., and Yvon Genereux of La Bostonais, Que.
$65,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot
Rising to the top of the three-year-old trotting filly division, Soleo ($3.90) equalled her 1:58.3 lifetime mark and came within three-fifths of a second of the divisional track record.
Driver Dan Dube had Soleo positioned in third early on and watched as Greenleaf (Stephane Brosseau) and Miche Charm (Guy Gagnon) traded leads through opening panels of :29.1 and :58.2 before making the winning move. Soleo swept to command on the way to three-quarters in 1:28.1 and the 4-5 favoured Maxime Velaye trainee trotted off by 4-1/4 lengths. Greenleaf overtook Miche Charm in the stretch for second.
A homebred daughter of Muscle Mass out of Cor Leo, the filly is owned by Ecurie Provoquante of Mirabel, Que. A runner-up in the Coupe de l'Avenir championship as a rookie, she has rounded into winning form with her first four career wins in her last five starts. Sunday's victory was the biggest of her career, nearly doubling her bankroll to $67,925.
$55,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
The streaking Cattlekiss ($2.10) won the Coupe de l'Avenir two-year-old pacing filly championship in a 13-length romp for trainer/driver Guy Gagnon.
Heavily backed by the betting public at 1-9, the Cattlewash-Kiss Baby Kiss filly carved out fractions of :28.3, :58.4 and 1:27.4 en route to her crushing victory in 1:57 flat. In the race for place, Esmeralda Du Lac (Samuel Fillion) edged out her Marc-Andre Simoneau stablemate, Chezmatante Du Lace (Louis-Philippe Roy), as well as BM Sunshine Bullet (Denis St Pierre) in a three-way photo.
Cattlekiss was undefeated competing in three Coupe de l'Avenir preliminary legs and has now won five consecutive races by a combined margin of nearly 50 lengths. She has earned $50,900 in seven career starts for Ecuries Guy Gagnon Inc. of Gatineau, Que.
$55,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot
Trainer/driver Guy Gagnon came right back to claim another Coupe de l'Avenir championship with two-year-old trotting filly Abby Rose Men ($2.30).
Gagnon worked out a perfect pocket trip for the 1-9 favourite Abby Rose Men, tracking leader Tout En Muscle (Dan Dube) through splits of :30.2, 1:01.4 and 1:32.2 before battling past that rival in the final quarter to win by half a length in a new lifetime mark of 2:01.4. Silver Pride (Robert Shepherd) finished more than 10 lengths back in third, with the rest of the fillies making breaks.
Abby Rose Men is also owned by Ecuries Guy Gagnon Inc., along with 9129 9560 Quebec Inc. of Mirabel, Que., and Chantal Gravel of St-Cyrille-De-Wendover, Que. After starting her career with a pair of runner-up finishes, the Muscle Mass-Cersei Hanover filly has won three in a row, boosting her bankroll to $38,325.
$55,000 Two-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot
Guy Gagnon earned his third straight championship victory with undefeated two-year-old trotting gelding Magic Liam proving to be no match for his rivals.
Contested as a non-wagering race mid-card with just a quartet of starters, this Coupe de l'Avenir final turned into a two-horse race when half of the field broke stride early on. Magic Liam inherited the lead during the :31.4 opening quarter and trotted on to the half in 1:02.3 before starting to gain some separation from the only other contender on his back. He clocked three-quarters in 1:33.1 and cruised home a 2:03.4 winner by 4-1/4 lengths over pocket-pursuer Mustang Shillow (Pascal Berube).
Magic Liam is now five-for-five in his career with $45,400 earned for the ownership group of Ecuries Guy Gagnon Inc. and Gatineau's Stephanie & Frederic Gagnon. No one could get the near the Muscle Mass-American Gal K gelding the Quebec series, with his winning margins reaching as much as 30 lengths in the last preliminary leg.
$65,000 Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Trot
Reigning divisional champion Mass Speed ($2.70) easily defended his male trotting title and continued the parade of favourites in the winner's circle.
Driver Denis St. Pierre put the 1-5 bettors' choice Mass Speed on the point and maintained an uncontested lead through fractions of :28.4, :59.2 and 1:29.1 on the way to a 1:59 career-best victory. Royalty B N (Sylvain Fontaine) chased 2-3/4 lengths behind in the deuce with JP SI Beau (Jean-Paul Rousse), the longest shot on the board at 52-1, completing the triactor.
A homebred son of Muscle Mass out of Missionoftheheart, Mass Speed is trained and owned by Michel Allard of Saint-Esprit, Que. After going five-for-seven as a rookie, he has won six of his 16 sophomore starts with his second championship score pushing his career earnings just over the $100,000 mark.
$65,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Overlooked at odds of 11-1, Mirabel Enfete ($24) provided the only betting upset among the championship winners as she delivered catch-driver Dan Dube and trainer Maxime Velaye their second stakes trophy.
Despite winning last year's championship, Mirabel Enfete was the fourth choice on the toteboard with one win through the preliminary legs of the Trophee des Eleveurs. All eyes were on 1-5 favourite Silver Majesty, who had established herself as the divisional darling going four-for-four in stakes action.
Silver Majesty (Denis St. Pierre) looked to continue her dominance as she led through panels of :28, :58.2 and 1:26.3 but Mirabel Enfete had other ideas. Waiting to pounce from the pocket, Mirabel Enfete out-sprinted the pacesetter with a :28.2 final frame to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:55.1. The time was a personal best for the Leader Bayama-Eloge filly and four-fifths of a second off the divisional track record. Justine Ray (Samuel Fillion) rallied wide around fading cover down the backstretch the final time to show, finishing two lengths behind.
Mirabel Enfete earned her fourth career win and now has $75,602 in earnings from 13 starts for owner/breeder Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, Que.
$65,000 Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding Pace
Glamour boy The Magic Moment ($2.10) was also a repeat winner, defending his championship crown for trainer Francis Guillemette.
With Louis-Philippe Roy picking up the catch-drive, 1-9 favourite The Magic Moment looped early leaver Changement Detemps (Dan Dube) at the quarter pole and held off that rival's late surge by half a length. Taking control in a tepid :29 opening panel, The Magic Moment cut middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.4 en route to the 1:55 triumph. Winchester Phoenix (Stephane Brosseau) finished more than four lengths behind in third after his first-over journey.
The Magic Moment hit six figures in career earnings and is now 10-for-15 with seven of his wins this year between the Quebec and Ontario stakes programs. The gelding by Control The Moment out of Wind River Cat is owned by breeder Gestion A&a Belanger Inc., along with Cynthia Cote Dupont, both of Shawinigan, Que.
Invitationals Fill Undercard
Former Trophee des Eleveurs champion Kenogami Coco ($3.50) and driver Robert Shepherd kicked off the card with a 1:57.3 victory in the $8,000 Invitational Handicap Trot, moving from mid-pack in the scratch-reduced, five-horse field approaching the three-quarters mark and overtaking the tempo-setting mare, Rose Run Why Not (Pascal Berube), in the stretch. The eight-year-old Wheeling N Dealin-Profound Wisdom gelding is currently campaigned by trainer Christine Beaulieu for Montreal, Que. owners Marie-Claude Reid and Mario Menard.
Sauble Amber ($2.10), driven by Pascal Berube, retook the lead from stablemate Share The Moment (Samuel Fillion) in the first panel and won the $6,500 Mares Invitational Pace in 1:56.1 by a widening 4-1/2 lengths in a 1-2 finish for trainer/owner Michel Lagace. Sauble Amber, a six-year-old daughter of Betterthancheddar and Ambrosia Seelster, won her third straight race at 3R.
Guy Gagnon capped off a Sunday driving and training grand slam in the finale, with 70-time career winner The Light Speed ($2.10) three-wide early to make front then turning back Bets Beach (Marie-Claude Auger) in the $8,000 Invitational Pace as he scored in 1:54.4 by three lengths over pocket-sitter Self Made (Stephane Brosseau). Owned and bred by Michel Nolette of Princeville, Que., the seven-year-old Moon Beam-Jayma gelding earned his 10th win of the season, marking the fifth straight year he's posted win totals in the double-digits.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Cattlekiss winning at Hippodrome 3R)