For the past 25 years, Pascal Berube and Isabelle Binet have worked side-by-side in their barn – Pascal does the driving and Isabelle the training for their stable.
One of the stars of the stable is stakes champion Holiday Party, who will headline the Preferred-Handicap Trot (Race 8) at Hippodrome 3R Friday evening.
“’Holiday’ feels really good this season,” Berube said. “He was turned out for a while this winter and now he looks in peak form and ready to go.”
From three start this season, Holiday Party has recorded a third-place, second-place, and a victory last week in the track’s top class. That victory was an easy one for Berube, as the duo left from Post 5, went right to the lead and never looked back. The duo breezed to the wire by three and one-half lengths in 2:00.
When asked about this Friday’s race, Berube said, “I worry a little about Talbotcreek Suzie (Post 7). She shows very fast speed and may be perfect for a half-mile track like Trois-Rivieres.”
Also scheduled to compete in the well-matched field is the great closer Rocky Boy (Post 8), Rideau Carleton invader Wings Of Ballykeel and the 2019 debut of Denitza Petrova’s Kinnder Dangerous.
Holiday Party was a terror on the racetrack at age three and totally dominated his division. He put together a six-race win streak at one point that season. He and Berube also recorded a track-record mile of 1:58.2 in their $65,000 Breeders Cup Final that campaign
Holiday Party has come a long way considering he made eight starts at age two and didn’t record a win that season. He now sports career earnings of $191,000 for the Holiday Party Stable of Portneuf.
As for Berube and Binet, they have a very exciting summer season ahead of them with a stable full of promising racehorses. They are also very proud of their 21-year-old son, Olivier, who is a promising hockey star. Pascal loves hockey and plays whenever he gets spare time and is a very good goalie.
Earlier on Friday’s program (Race 5), the undefeated and winningest horse this season at the Hippodrome 3R, Sultan D Or, will look to record his fourth consecutive victory of the season. The ten-year-old gelded son of Newtown will start from Post 2 for driver Jocelyn Gendron. Sultan D Or, who races from both on and off the pace, has returned in good form this year for owner/trainer Pierre Turcotte of Trois-Rivieres.
Post time Friday night is at 7:00 p.m. For a free race program, visit quebecjockeyclub.com.
To view the harness racing entries for Friday at H3R, click the following link: Friday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)