Officials with the Quebec Jockey Club have announced that Hippodrome 3R has been forced to delay the opening day of its 2018 live meet.
The delay has come due to poor weather and track conditions.
Opening day for Hippodrome 3R’s 2018 live meet is now scheduled for Sunday, April 29.
“We have had such bad weather this winter,” explained the track’s general manager, Murielle Thomassin. “Snow, then warm weather, then rain and now more snow. Our track has not been able to thaw properly, and thus our horsemen and women cannot train on it, nor have we yet to be able to hold any qualifying races.
“The [QJC] has now decided to move our opening day from April 22 to April 29,” said Thomassin, who also stated that it just makes sense to delay the meet-opening card for an additional week. “We are hopeful the weather will get better and we can have the track in good shape and that our trainers can have their horses ready to race.”
Thomassin has also stated that the track will reschedule the lost race date for later on this season. “We must, by the rules of the Quebec Racing Commission, have 40 days of live racing at H3R. We will have a date for the makeup day soon.”
In other news, H3R will have new post times for 2018. Sunday programs will kick off at 12:50 p.m. and the first race on Tuesday evenings will head behind the starter at 6:30 p.m.
The QJC, which oversees the $200,000 Prix D’Ete – the track’s premier race of the season for four-year-old pacers – would like to remind owners and trainers that the second payment to remain eligible for the race is due on April 15.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)