The $200,000 Quebec-Bred Series for three-year-old trotters will get underway on Canada Day evening (Wednesday, July 1) at the Hippodrome 3R.
The track’s leading driver, Denis St Pierre, who is just two wins away from his 4,000th career victory, is scheduled to drive in five races during the program.
The Quebec-Bred Series will get underway early on the card (in the first and third races). Through the month of July there will be four weeks of elimination competition with the top eight point earners returning on Sunday, September 6 for their respective $65,000 finals.
The first race is headed by the filly Double Chance, who will start from the rail for driver Sylvain Lacaille. The daughter of Majestic Son enters the race off a sharp 2:01.3 triumph in her last start, which was her first win from two starts this season for owner/trainer Serge Nadeau of Scott, QC.
Other contenders in the race include Gros Bill (Post 6) and National Trace (Post 5).
The second division for colts (Race 3) will spotlight what may be the two best horses in the series, Intouchable and Promesses Imperial.
Intouchable was bred to be a winner and looks the part after his first start of the 2015 season. He is by Angus Hall and is out of the top mare Iceberg Angus, thus making him a full brother to top performer Maximuscle, who recently won the Quebec-Bred Series final for older trotters.
Trained by Maxime Velaye for owner/breeder Ecurie Provoquante of Mirabel, QC, Intouchable may have been winless last year at age two, but still earned more than $26,000.
Now age three, Intouchable wowed the fans in his first start of the season at Rideau Carlton Raceway with a 1:58.3 triumph. He will start from Post 2 in Race 3 for trotting master Mario Charron, who also steers Maximuscle.
But hometown fans also have their favourite in the race, Promesses Imperial, who will start from Post 3 for owner/driver Jerome Lombart of Bromont, QC. The homebred son of Imperial Angus is on a three-race win streak at the Hippodrome 3R. He took his lifetime mark of 2:01.3 on the Trois-Rivieres half mile oval in his last start.
Late bloomer Seeyou Meh is also a contender in Race 3 and will start from the rail for driver Robert Shepherd. He has only made one start thus far in his career, but that was a winning effort in 2:02 at Georgian Downs.
After scoring his fourth driving quadruple at 3R this past Sunday, leading driver Denis St Pierre is just two wins away from achieving career milestone victory No. 4,000. He is listed to drive in five of the 10 races on the program.
First-race post time for 3R’s Wednesday card is 7 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Wednesday at 3R, click the following link: Wednesday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)