Hippodrome 3R kicked off its 2017 season of live harness racing on Sunday, April 23, as the Quebec half-miler played host to a nine-race card that feature both an $8,000 Preferred 1 Trot and an $8,000 Preferred 1 Pace.
Fans that attended live or wagered off-track were met with a surprise, as they found out that Hippodrome 3R has done away with show wagering.
H3R became only the second racetrack in North America and the first in Canada to do away with show wagering. Pompano Park did it for a short period back in 2004.
According to a release from the Quebec Jockey Club, track management cited that over the past years there was little wagering done in the show pools and elected to end the wager in 2017. Doing away with show wagering also prevents possible ‘bridge jumpers,’ handicappers that risk large show wagers to make the mandatory $0.05 payout for a $1.00 wager.
In rein to Pierre Luc Roy for trainer Yves Tessier, Torches Angel was a convincing winner in the $8,000 Preferred 1 Trot, which went postward as Race 5.
Sent off as the wagering public’s odds-on choice, Roy and Torches Angel utilized a reserved approach early. The duo opted to take a stalking perspective after their Post 6 start. They kept tabs on the early leaders from the back of the pack and were sixth to the opening quarter, which was tripped in :29.3.
Roy had his seven-year-old Angus Hall mare out and racing in the second quarter. They were overland in fourth, three lengths in arrears, by the time the half-mile clock illuminated in 1:00.3. The duo erased their three-length deficit in the third panel, as they clicked off the third call in 1:31.4 while fighting for the lead on the outside.
It was all Touches Angel in the final quarter, as she and Roy came home in :30.3 and stopped the clock in 2:02.2. Caroluzzo (driven by Stephane Gendron) finished second, while Rocky Boy (Marc Belanger) finished third.
The win was the 32nd of Touches Angel’s career. She has now won two of her six starts this year. The mare, who is owned by Francois Morin of Beauceville, QC, now has $163,479 in career earnings. Touches Angel returned $3.70 on a successful Win wager.
Solid Performance put forth just that in the $8,000 Preferred Pace, as the eight-year-old Armbro Deuce gelding was much the best in Race 8.
With Gaetan Lamy calling the shots in the sulky, Solid Performance was conservative off the gate, as the bay sat fifth through the :27.3 opening quarter and was almost nine lengths off the lead. Lamy shortened up the deficit in the second quarter, as he moved his charge first-over and was charted as fourth, two and a half lengths off the speed at the :58.3 half-mile pole.
Solid Performance was game in the third quarter, as the gelding continued to advance on the outside. He was overland and in the lead by a half length when he clicked off three quarters in 1:27.2.
Solid Performance started to pour it on in final quarter. He was up by two lengths at the head of the lane and went on to record a three-length win in 1:56.2. The pacesetting Bazinga Brad (Stephane Gendron) finished second and Glass Shadow (Richard Simard) finished further back in third.
Solid Performance was part of a two-horse Marc Andre Cormier-trained entry in the tilt. Cormier also owns the winner, who was sent off as the narrow second choice and returned $5.00 on a successful Win wager.
The first race of Hippodrome 3R’s 2017 meet was won by Norvena Hanover, an eight-year-old Western Ideal mare that got the job done in 2:01 for driver Stephane Brosseau and trainer Jessica Turenne.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Hippodrome 3R, click the following link: Sunday Results – Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)