Hall of Famer Yves Filion has the two favourites in the final preliminary round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old pacers, set for Sunday (August 22) at Hippodrome 3R.
This is the last of three preliminary rounds with the top eight point-earners in the series returning for their respective $65,000 finals on Super Sunday, September 12.
Filion gets his stable started in the fourth race division for the colts. He races an entry of Cadillac Bayama (Post 5) and Colonel Bayama (Post 3).
Cadillac Bayama is the stronger of the two entries and will be driven by Yves, while his son Justin will drive Colonel Bayama.
Sired by Sunshine Beach, Cadillac Bayama is seeking to make it a clean sweep in the prelims. He has won both his last two starts with ease going in 1:57.1 and 1:55, winning from both on and off the pace. Colonel Bayama has not fared that well this season and has yet to win in six starts.
Other contenders in the race include Chantee (Post 4) for driver Stephane Gendron, who shows two strong efforts in his last three starts, the fastest a third-place finish at 3R timed in 1:55.3. Diamond Rock (Post 7) was second to Cadillac Bayama in their last meetings for driver Pascal Berube.
In the filly division, the eighth race, Yves Filion again has the betting favourite in Celia Bayama from post seven. Last year’s Quebec-Bred Champion at age two, Celia Bayama won her opening round of the series in 2:00.2. She was then defeated in the series in her last start, finishing third to Platine Alpha in 1:57.4.
Hoping for the upset score will be CL Sportsextreme (Post 3), who returns to 3R after some unsuccessful efforts in the OSS Grassroots. Also deserving consideration is Whitemountaincammy (Post 5), who was second by a neck her last start at 3R in 1:58.
Super Sunday at Hippodrome 3R will feature four finals in the Breeders Trophy Series, each for a purse of $65,000 and the four finals of the Future Stars Series for two-year-olds, each with a purse of $55,000. There will be more than $500,000 in purses on Super Sunday, the richest day of harness racing in all of Quebec.
First race post time is 12:10 pm Sunday. For a free race program, go to hippodrome3r.ca. To view the entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)