This Sunday, Sept.8, Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec hosts its Super Sunday Quebec Championship Finals for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers with purses exceeding $500,000 for the 12-race program.
Here are the leading contenders in each of the championship finals. Post time Sunday is 12 p.m.
Race 2 - $55,000 Two-Year-Old Colt Pace Final
The Magic Moment starts from post four for driver Jonathan Lachance. This Control The Moment colt has won two of his last three starts, both in the series with the fastest mile in 1:59.3.
Race 4 - $55,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Trot Final
Chic Choc Rose goes from post two for red-hot driver Marie-Claude Auger who bred and co-owns the Royalty For Life filly. She has won three of her last four starts, the fastest with a 2:03.3 mark. Miche Charm (post four) is on a two-race win streak, having beaten Chic Choc Rose in their last meeting.
Race 5 - $55,000 Two-Year-Old Filly Pace Final
Silver Majesty with driver Denis St. Pierre has been in peak form and the All Bets Off filly is on a three-race winning streak including a 2:00 mark in her last start.
Race 7 - $65,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Pace Final
One More Bet starts from the outside in post seven for driver Daniel Dube. When not in the series the All Bets Off filly has been racing with success at Woodbine Mohawk Park where she took her lifetime mark of 1:51.1. She has also won at 3R in 1:56.1.
Race 8 - $55,000 Two-Year-Old Colt Trot Final
Mass Speed has two wins in his four lifetime starts, last time out wiring the field in the series with a romp in 2:03.3. The Muscle Mass colt be driven again by Denis St. Pierre.
Race 9 - $65,000 Three-Year-Old Filly Trot Final
Last year’s two-year-old champion, Sensi Amnesia is back for breeder, trainer, driver and co-owner Marie-Claude Auger. The Muscle Mass filly is coming off a 2:00.2 overnight victory and faces a tough challenge from post one against Cleomax Duharas (post two), who has won three of her last four starts and will be driven for the first time by Louis-Philippe Roy.
Race 10 - $65,000 Three-Year-Old Colt Pace Final
All aboard the Boomboom Tonight bus! Last year’s two-year-old champion is back and better than ever for driver Pascal Berube. The Sportswriter colt has won four of his last five starts and has beaten everyone in the field. He even has a fan club that may fill two buses for Sunday’s big day.
Race 11 - $65,000 Three-Year-Old Colt Trot Final
Captain PV has six wins in 10 starts this season for driver Marie-Claude Auger and the son of Wheeling N Dealin all but dominated the series with a 1:59.2 record mile. His only recent loss came at the hands of Paradise Moni (post two) with driver Denis St Pierre. He has won three of his last five starts, the fastest a 1:55.2 mile at Rideau Carleton Raceway.
Great undercard of Invitationals
Eight of the races are stakes finals and four of the races are Invitational events featuring the best older pacers and trotters from around the province.
The very first race on the program Sunday is a $6,500 Invitational Trot and featured is return winner Only For Justice from post six for driver Francis Picard. The class of the field with $579,000 in career earnings was parked first-over last time out with Picard and was able to grind out a head victory in 1:57.3.
Also in the race is Royalty Beer (post five) with driver Louis-Philippe Roy. Last time out Royalty Beer was second to Only For Justice by a head. And a newcomer to 3R, Prince Of Sussex (post eight) for trainer-driver Gerald Demers, ships in from Woodbine Mohawk Park after winning his last start by a nose in 1:56.4.
The third race is a $6,500 Quebec-Bred Pace just for three-year-olds. Classic Jim (post six) heads the field coming into the event on a two-race winning streak for trainer-owner Carl Duguay and driver Guy Gagnon. The fastest win, a 1:56.2 lifetime mark, came last week at Rideau Carleton.
Other contenders are Sundance Leyo (post two) and the lone filly in the race, JP In Paradise (post one), who broke her maiden last week at Connell Park in New Brunswick with a 2:02.1 triumph.
The sixth race is the $6,500 Invitational Pace for the mares. The co-favourites are Rec Time (post five) for driver Simon Allard and Era Of Love (post six) with driver Pascal Berube. Last week these two mares raced against each other and finished in a dead-heat for win in 1:56.3.
Also in the race is Beauty Is Blind (post one), who is on a two-race win streak, winning last week in 1:57.4. She will be driven by Louis-Philippe Roy.
The 12th and final race on the card is the $6,500 Invitational Pace for the older horses. The top contender is the local favourite Light The Torch (post two) for driver Pascal Berube. Light The Torch won last week at 3R in 1:56.4 and the prior week at Rideau Carleton in 1:54.2.
He faces a tough task going against The Light Speed (post four) for driver Guy Gagnon. The six-year-old gelding scored his 11th win of the season in his last start, a 1:52 clocking at Rideau Carleton. Three starts back he finished in a dead heat for win in 1:51.1.
Also, on a winning streak his last two starts is Twin B Powerball (post five) for driver Roy while Aladdin (post three) for driver Stephane Brosseau is coming off a nose win at Rideau Carleton in 1:53.1.
To view the entries for Sunday's card of harness racing at 3R, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)