Hippodrome 3R hosts a stakes-filled race card including the Breeders Cup Series and three Preferred events on Sunday (July 28). The harness racing track will take a ten-day hiatus as the Grand Prix Auto Week is taking place in Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Heading the 11-race program are four $7,500 divisions of the Breeders Cup Series for three-year-old pacers with two divisions for colts and two for fillies. This is the second round of the series that features three legs and then the $65,000 finals on Sunday, September 8.
The colts are in action starting in the second race where Ashleysbest (post five) is the top contender. Trained by Sylvain Cote and to be driven Sunday by Pascal Berube, Ashleysbest has won four of his last five starts for owner/breeder Marc Herbert of Masham.
The son of Shanghai Phil sports five wins in eight starts this year, the fastest a lifetime best 1:55.2 triumph at 3R. Other contenders in the race include D Gs De Vito (post six) and GS Speed Gaby (post two).
The second colt division is the third race, headlined by HP Napoleon from post three for driver Stephane Brosseau. This gelded son of Big Jim has won his last two starts for trainer Francis Richard, the fastest a 1:51 lifetime mark at Woodbine Mohawk Park, winning a division of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots. His last start at 3R was a 1:55.2 romp by five and one-half lengths in the opening round of the Breeders Cup Series.
HP Napoleon is owned by Claude Hamel of Ayer’s Cliff. Hamel bred the colt with Celine Paguin, also of Ayer’s Cliff.
Also in the field is YS Sunshine (post two), who was the fastest division winner in the Breeders Cup Series so far, grinding out a 1:54.2 victory for driver Stephane Brosseau. The son of Sunshine Beach will be driven by Jonathan Lachance.
The first division for fillies is the fourth race where HP Xanadu is the morning line favourite despite drawing the far outside post eight for driver Stephane Brosseau. The daughter of Sunfire Blue Chip was second in the opening round of the series.
Other hopefuls in the race are Akita Bayama (post six), Better Now (post two) and Black Elektra (post five).
The second filly division is race seven with ten starters in the field. Cooking The Speed (post nine) is on a two-race win streak for trainer Michel Allard and breeder-owner Allard Racing. She won her opening round of the Breeders Cup in 1:57.4.
She will face tough competition from Moneymakehersmile (post six), who is on a three-race winning streak, and Esprit Dequipe (post three), who is undefeated this season with five straight wins. This daughter of Big Jim is tied with the top pacer Atomic Million AM as the two winningest horses at 3R this season.
The Preferred-Handicap events begin in race six for the trotters where Capteur De Reve will try for his third straight win. He has won his last two starts from both on and off the pace, which will help him as he was assigned the outside post eight position.
Other standouts in the field include three-time Quebec champion, Maximuscle (post one), the mare Precieuse CC (post four), Holiday Party (post five) and Kinnder Dangerous (post seven).
Preferred pacers hit the track in the eighth race, headlined by Atomic Million AM in post seven. This warhorse, now age eight, is on a five-race winning streak for owner, breeder and trainer, Alain Martin of Gatineau and will be driven by Jocelyn Gendron.
The fastest horse this season after his 1:54.1 triumph two starts back, Atomic Million AM does all his racing on the front end and has not been bested the last two months.
Looking to end his five-race win streak will be Kinnder Jackson (post six), who has been second to Atomic Million AM in his last two starts. Macktwowilldew (post eight) is coming off a 1:54.4 triumph at Rideau Carleton and Saulsbrook Peach (post five) shows a 1:53.2 victory two starts back.
The fillies and mares take to the track in the tenth race where last year’s Pacing Mare of the Year at 3R, Rainbow Palace, goes from post eight for driver Francis Picard. She won two starts back at 3R with a 1:57 triumph. She takes on Lit De Rose (post one) and Uptown Woman (post seven) who won her last start at 3R in 1:56.1.
First race post time on Sunday is 1:00 pm. A free program is available by going to quebecjockeyclub.com. The next live race card will be a special Thursday night program (August 8) starting at 7:00 p.m., and it will feature the second annual NASCAR Race Night, where NASCAR drivers will compete in an exhibition race in double-seater jog carts.
To view the entries for Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R
(with files from the Quebec Jockey Club)