It’s been years since Richard Berthiaume saw any of his horses race in his home province. So you can bet he’ll be at Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres for the kickoff card Sunday afternoon that will feature a couple of his stars shipped in from Ontario, four-year-old trotting mare Oh Sweet Baby and four-year-old pacer Odysseus Bluechip.
They’re competing in the two $12,000 Preferreds on the 11-race program.
“There’s about a dozen of us going down [from Montreal]. I haven’t been to that track in probably eight years,” Berthiaume said.
His horses used to be fixtures in Quebec stakes races. Now, they’re having similar success in Ontario. Pacing mare Voelz Hanover is past $1 million in earnings. Oh Sweet Baby is up to $635,000. His emerging star is two-year-old trotter Murmur Hanover, a $70,000 yearling who has almost $200,000 banked so far.
Friday, Murmur Hanover finished second to unbeaten Wheeling N Dealin in a $30,000 elimination of the William Wellwood Memorial Trot at Mohawk Racetrack and will contest next weekend’s $462,000 final.
Berthiaume’s stable consists of 14 horses, but not for long.
“It’s auction time,” he said, “and as usual, I’ll be buying.”
To view Sunday's harness racing entries at Hippodrome 3R, click on the following links: Sunday Entries /
Sunday Entries (Special).
(Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)