With a rare Thursday night (Aug. 9) racing card this week, Hippodrome 3R will be offering a spiced-up program, as it will feature seven stakes races, including four $30,000 finals of the Quebec-Bred Series.
Post time for the 10-race program will be at 6:30 p.m.
Race 1 will feature the $30,000 Quebec-Bred Series Final for four and five-year-old pacing mares. Two Quebec-Bred champions, Queen Elsa and HP Sissy, will be featured in the dash.
Queen Elsa will start from Post 6 for driver Stephane Gendron, while rival HP Sissy will start alongside in Post 5 for driver Stephane Brosseau. Both horses have yet to win a race during the series, but have the back class to be the favourites. It looks like their main competition could be return winner Art De Gagnee (Post 1) and Wild River Swan (Post 8).
The sixth race final for trotting mares is headed by EAU Naturelle, who is on a three-race winning streak for trainer/driver Simon Delisle. The duo will most likely face a challenge from arch rival Y S Suzanne, who will start from Post 3 for driver Guy Gagnon.
It looks like a real battle will take place in the Race 7 final for pacing horses, where last year’s three-year-old champion, Wildriverbumblebee, will square off against Dance With Joe (Post 5) and C L Sportaction (Post 3). Wildriverbumblebee is coming into the race off of a 1:54 score at Rideau Carleton Raceway for driver Guy Gagnon.
Race 8 will feature the last $30,000 final, which is for trotting horses. Kinnder Dangerous (Post 2) is the slight morning line favourite for driver Justin Filion, but will face a stellar field, including past champion Holiday Party (Post 1), who won the Invitational Trot at ‘H3R’ in his last start for driver Pascal Berube. Last year’s three-year-old champion, Capteur De Reve, will start from Post 5. The race will also feature return winners Orlys Dream (Post 6) and KFB Amigo Cool (Post 4).
Also on the program will be the third preliminary round of the Breeders Cup Series for three-year-old trotters. Race 2 will feature the first of the two divisions for the colts. Yankee Photo (Post 6) is the early favorite, and he is set to face off against Orlys Fury (Post 3) and Sir Chopin (Post 5), among others.
The second division (Race 5) will feature return winner SG Goliath King from Post 5 for trainer/driver Sylvain Grenier. The duo is set to take on Nobodynojustice (Post 1), who was a winner in the last leg of the series.
The fillies will do battle in Race 3, where series-leg winner Kinnder Prediction (Post 2) and driver Justin Filion will take on Stand For Justice (Post 1) and Montanaalaska (Post 5), among others.
For a free race program, head to quebecjockeyclub.com.
To view the harness racing entries for Thursday at H3R, click the following link: Thursday Entries – Hippodrome 3R.
(Quebec Jockey Club)