The card of harness racing on Sunday, Sept. 22 at Hippodrome 3R features 10 races, highlighted by a number of classic match-ups and a special Open Pace for two-year-old fillies.
The annual Lucien Bombardier Pace for two-year-old fillies is on the horizon, set for Sunday, Oct. 6 at 3R, and most of the fillies in this Sunday’s Open are eligible for the big stakes event.
Set for the fifth race, the $5,000 Open features race favourite Silver Majesty (pictured above) from post four for driver Denis St. Pierre. The Jean-Francois Maguire trainee was on a three-race winning streak coming into the $55,000 final for the Future Stars Series at 3R and despite a tough first-over trip, the daughter of All Bets Off was still a game second at the finish in 1:59.1.
Another favourite for the upcoming Bombardier Pace is Mystic Moment for driver Marie-Claude Auger starting from post seven. A $7,000 yearling purchase by co-owner and trainer Dany Mainguy, the daughter of Control The Moment enters on a two-race winning streak, the fastest a 1:59.4 triumph two starts back at Rideau Carleton Raceway and the prior week she came to 3R and romped by 4-1/2 lengths in 2:00.3.
Other contenders include Simply The Best (post two) and newcomer from Ontario, TJ Bliss (post five), who sports a record win of 1:56.2 at Georgian Downs.
The 3R card also features a $6,000 Quebec-bred three-year-old pace. HP Game On heads the field from post six for driver Marie-Claude Auger. Two starts back, the son of McWicked was parked the mile and still came on to win in a lifetime best 1:58.1. He faces Foiled Dragon, who wired the field last start in 1:57, but is saddled with starting from the far outside in post eight for driver Jocelyn Gendron.
The mares battle it out in the ninth race Preferred Pace with return winners Beauty Is Blind (post six) and Mach N Blue Cheese (post two) taking on the good mare Jimbelina (post seven), who returns to 3R after competing in a Pop-Up Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park where she won an opening round in 1:53.2.
The 10th and final race on the card for older pacers features three return winners that will do battle. They are Uncontrollable (post nine) who returns off a sizzling 1:53.4 romp by 8-1/4 lengths, Little Diamond (post seven) was parked the mile last week and still won in 1:56.2 and Ritchie Alpha (post five) won in 1:55.2, also in a romp by more than eight lengths.
First race post time on Sunday is at 12 noon. For entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)