Live nighttime racing will get underway at the Hippodrome 3R this Tuesday (May 30) with first race post time at 7:00 p.m.
The first night program of the season will be highlighted by the opening round of the $100,000 Quebec-Bred Series for four and five-year-old trotting mares and horses in separate divisions.
All four of last year Quebec-Bred Series champions are in the opening round of the series that features three weeks of preliminary competition followed by the eight top point earners in each class returning on Sunday, June 25.
The trotting mares are first in the limelight in the second race where eight female high steppers will do battle.
Owner/trainer Carl Duguay’s Y S Suzanne is the morning line favourite from Post 5. She will be driven by Stephan Gendron, who needs just two wins on Tuesday for his 4,000th career victory.
Y S Suzanne comes home to H3R from Saratoga Raceway in New York where she has won her last two starts, the fastest a lifetime equalling mark of 1:58.2 over the half mile oval. The four-year-old mare by Angus Hall sports four wins already this season.
Last year’s three-year-old Quebec Series Champion, Y A Jailhouse Jodi, will start from the rail for driver Guy Gagnon, but is winless so far in four starts this year.
Other competitors in the field include last year’s mare’s champion, SOS Revange (Post 7) and EAU Naturelle (Post 8).
The horses will do battle in the fifth race where two series champions from last year, Seeyou Men and Holiday Party, will take on 2015 champion Wildwild Men and undefeated Le Millenaire. Both Holiday Party and Wildwild Men are track record holders at H3R.
Wildwild Men and Seeyou Men will race as an entry for trainer Isabelle Darveau. Both horses are full brothers from the mare Seeyouinthecircle and sired by Muscle Mass. They are both bred by Chantal Gravel, who co-owns them with Catheline Pelletier. Seeyou Men is age five and Wildwild Men is age four.
Wildwild Men is the stronger of the two brothers and will start from Post 3 for driver Robert Shepherd. Last time out Wildwild Men was second by a neck at Western Fair in 1:57.3 in just his second start this season.
Seeyou Men will start from Post 6 for driver Guy Gagnon and has two wins this year, the fastest a 1:59.3 triumph at Flamboro Downs.
Track record holder Holiday Party will start from Post 2 for driver Pascal Berube. A nine-time winner last year, Holiday Party made his 2017 debut last week at Rideau Carlton and was fifth, timed in 1:59.2.
Le Millenaire drew the rail post position for driver Sylvain Fontaine and is unbeaten this year in two starts, the fastest in 1:59.1. Another return winner in the field is KFB Amigo Cool (Post 4) for driver Stephane Brosseau.
To view the harness racing entries for Tuesday at H3R, click the following link: Tuesday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.
TRACK NOTES: Fans and horsemen should take note that post time on Tuesday night is 7:00 p.m. Track management also announced on Sunday that post time for the Sunday card starting this week will be half an hour earlier at 12:30 p.m.
This Sunday, June 4, is the second annual All-Star Drivers Tournament at H3R featuring last year's inaugural winner, Jody Jamieson, Hall of Famer David Miller, H3R's leading driver this and last season, Louis-Philippe Roy, Yannick Gingras, Daniel Dube, Sylvain Filion, Stephane Bouchard and Scott Zeron, all competing in eight tournament races. There will be a special meet and greet for the race fans starting at 11:00 a.m.
For more information, visit quebecjockeyclub.com.
(Quebec Jockey Club)