At the end of the season at the Hippodrome 3R, there is a big party and a celebration honouring the leading horses, horsemen and women from the season.
Included in these honours is the winningest horse of the year award and right now the horse with the best shot of claiming that title is Requested, who tries for his fourth victory at 3R this season in the fourth race pace.
Owned and trained by Jean Ducharme of Crabtree, Requested was winless last season at age four, but has found new life and speed and the winner’s circle in 2018.
In just four starts this year, Requested, a stallion by Badlands Hanover, has already notched three wins and one second place finish and now has a new lifetime mark of 1:55.3, quite different from his lone qualifying win last year of 2:03.1.
Requested goes from post four in the fourth race Sunday and will have driver Francis Picard once again in the sulky. Tabbed as the race favourite, Requested has shown this year that he can race and win from both on and off the pace. His other victories were both in 1:56.2.
His main rivals in the race include return winner, Rock Camroller (post 5), who won last week for driver Marie Claude Auger in 1:56.2, Fortune Fella (post 7) and Take The Deal (post 1).
The main event takes place in the seventh race pace where three return winners headline the field.
Washington Hanover goes from the rail for driver Pascal Berube and last week the ten-year-old gelded son of Real Artist was in prime shape, getting a perfect two-hole trip from Berube and turning it into a 1:55 score.
Rainbow Palace once again is back in peak form at age six. The lone mare in the field goes from post two for driver Francis Picard and is coming off a 1:55.2 triumph last week. Two starts before that, she won at 3R in 1:55.
Matts Phil is the third return winner and goes from post eight for driver Pierre Luc Roy, who last week drove the eight-year-old Shanghai Phil gelding to a 1:57.1 triumph.
Another horse to watch out for in the race is Hooter Shooter from post seven. He had won two straight, the fastest in 1:55 for driver Stephane Gendron until finishing third last week. Other contenders include Jann And Dean (post 3) and Onyx VA (post 4) in the well-matched field.
TRACK NOTES: Due to a lack of entries, management at H3R was forced to cancel the live race card of harness racing slated for Tuesday, June 19. This program will be made up on Sunday, November 25.
Post time for the Father's Day card set is 12:50 p.m. For entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)