Trotters own the spotlight at Hippodrome 3R on Friday (July 30) with the second leg of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-olds.
Four-time winner Hall Win, who hails from the Kevin Maguire Stable, leads the way. So far in 2021, Hall Win boasts his four wins and one third-place finish in six starts for Maguire, who not only bred the Angus Hall colt, but also bred and owned his dam and owned the grandam, Esther Gagne, who was a $101,000 winner.
“I bought Esther Gagne when she was in foal to Beer Maggs,” Maguire explained. “The foal was Beer Maggs by Have A Beer. Esther has been an excellent race mare."
Beer Maggs did well for the Maguires, taking a record of 1:57.3 with earnings of more than $115,000. And she is now a 100 per cent producer for the Maguire Stable.
Hall Win is the first foal from Beer Maggs and showed promise as a two-year-old, but suffered a fracture after making just five starts in 2020.
“He (Hall Win) had that fracture, so we had to stop with him early last season,” Maguire explained, “and over the winter he healed well, grew some and now is doing really well.
With a record this year of 1:59.3 at H3R, Hall Win is the 5-2 morning line favourite in Friday's third race. In the opening round of the series, Hall Win notched his fourth win of the season in 2:00.3. He starts from post two on Friday with Maguire back in the sulky.
“I believe that he (Hall Win) will be able to trot in the 1:58 to 1:57 range this season,” Maguire said. “This horse has a lot of heart."
But Hall Win is not the only reason Maguire is smiling this season, as Hall Win’s younger brother, Royalty Beer (Royalty For Life), just began his two-year-old season with a victory in the opening round of the Future Stars Series at H3R.
“Royalty Beer may be the little brother of Hall Win,” Maguire said, “but he is already bigger than his brother. Believe me. I think he will be better than Hall Win. Royalty Beer won very easily in just his second career start last week.”
Hall Win has already beaten his seven rivals in Friday’s race, but Aoki (post six) came back last week to take an overnight event by a nose in 2:01 for driver Jocelyn Gendron. Also in the field is the Maxime Velaye Stable entry of Ciel Bleu (post one) and Emotions Riches (post seven) for the Provoquante Stable.
The filly division of the Breeders Trophy Series goes in race seven, and is headlined by Jerome Lombart’s X O X O. She is a homebred of Lombart’s, sired by Angus Hall and trained by Andreane Lapierre.
X O X O has been on a tear this season with five wins and is on a two-race winning streak. She won the opening round of the Breeders Trophy Series in a lifetime best 2:00.4 and last week took on older trotters and won in 2:01.3. She will start from post five.
The race also features the return of track record holder and 2020 Québec-bred champion Mag N Lady. The 5-2 favourite returns to H3R from Mohawk, where she had one unsuccessful start in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots for trainer-driver-owner Jean Francois Maguire.
As a two-year-old, Mag N Lady was a terror on the racetrack. The Royalty For Life filly won four of nine starts with three seconds and one third-place finish, good for $61,000 in earnings. She also rewrote the H3R track record for her age and gait with a 1:59.2 score.
The Friday card also features a Preferred Pace for mares, carded as race eight. The field of nine includes return winner Kiss Me Bad (post two) for owner-trainer-driver Steven Gagnon. Last week, she won by a neck in a lifetime best 1:56.
She takes on rivals Fern Hill Bella (post five), Sieras Rose (post six) and returning winner Wild River Swan (post eight).
First race post time Friday is 4 p.m. A free program is available at www.hippodrome3r.ca.
To view Friday's complete entries, click the following link: Friday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.
(Québec Jockey Club)