The opening card of the season at Hippodrome 3R will have a surprise guest.
Intimidate, winner of the 2012 Breeders Crown final for three-year-old trotters at Woodbine Racetrack, has been entered in Sunday afternoon’s eighth race, a $6,000 event for Quebec-bred trotters aged four and five. Yves Filion is down to drive Intimidate, who will be making his 2013 debut after a pair of qualifiers at Rideau Carleton Raceway. He has been barred from the betting.
The kickoff program at Hippodrome 3R will feature 12 races, 10 of them for Quebec-bred trotters and pacers aged four and five.
It’ll be the first of 40 cards on this year’s expanded schedule at the Trois-Rivieres track, which was purchased last year by the Quebec Jockey Club.
QJC president Tony Infilise said he’s very optimistic about the season, given the strong response to live racing at Hippodrome 3R last year and the development since last summer of the QJC’s teletheatre network. It’s gone from zero to seven outlets in a year, with three more on the way.
“There are a lot of things to feel good about," he said. "We’re a stronger organization with a stronger foundation than ever. Our relationship with the industry and horsemen is good. We finished last year with a surplus and we’re on or ahead of budget this year. With Rideau cutting back, we have a role to play in filling the void.”
Hippodrome 3R will initially present only Sunday afternoon programs, adding Tuesday nights starting May 28. Live cards will be presented until early October.
To view the entries for this Sunday's card at Hippodrome 3R, please click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)
Close to $2 million in purses - First full season of horse racing at the Hippodrome 3R
On Friday morning, in Trois-Rivières, the Quebec Jockey Club will hold a press conference to announce the first full season of horse racing at the Hippodrome 3R, after five long years of waiting. The press conference will also address the revitalization of the horse racing industry, pari-mutuel betting and the opening of eight betting parlours across Quebec.
Speakers will include Mr. Serge Savard, businessman and former Montreal Canadiens GM, Mr. Vincent Trudel, General Manager of the Quebec Jockey Club, and a representative of the Mayor of Trois-Rivières, Mr. Yves Lévesque.
WHEN: Friday, May 10, 2013
TIME: 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Hippodrome Trois-Rivières
ADDRESS: 1850 Boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, Québec
(QJC)