With eight race days left to the harness racing meet at the Hippodrome 3R, the weekly battle continues this Sunday (September 25) to see who will be the winningest horse of the season. Four horses are competing in two of the feature races at 3R Sunday who are all vying for the title.
In the 10th race pace, the three favourites in the race are all contenders.
SOS Mach Xtreme leads the field on the strength of nine wins this year, five of them at 3R. He starts from post four for driver Stephane Brosseau and trainer Francis Richard and comes into the race on a four-race winning streak. The six-year-old gelding by Mach Three was super last week at 3R for Brosseau, leading from start to finish by six open lengths in 1:56.3 and earlier this season scored a lifetime mark of 1:55.
Beach Runner A M goes from post eight for driver Sylvain Lacaille and of his seven wins this year, six of them have come at 3R, which ties him with St Kitts, as the leading winning horses this season. Two starts back, the nine-year-old gelded son of Beach Of Faith also wired the field at 3R in 1:56.3 and the prior week won in 1:56 for trainer Alain Martin.
Bali goes from post six for driver Mario Charron and this five-year-old gelding by Bali sports an impressive 10 wins in 21 starts this year, five of them at 3R. Bali has raced the last few weeks on the Quebec Fair Circuit and comes back to 3R on a two-race winning streak for trainer Marie Claude Auger.
Next comes the 11th race pace, where St Kitts looks to make it three wins in a row. She has started nine times this year, with all six of her wins at 3R. St Kitts is just a three-year-old filly by Somebeachsomewhere who did not race at age two. Trained by Maxime Velaye, St Kitts starts from the rail for driver Stephane Brosseau and when she minds her manners on the racetrack, is very tough to beat. According to Velaye, St Kitts has a bit of an attitude and must be handled with care before the start of the race as she has in the past refused the starting gate.
Last week, Brosseau, driving St Kitts for the first time, was able to get her not only up to the gate, but led the field from start to finish, winning in a moderate slow time of 1:59.1, but winning none the less and having to race against older competition. Her rival from last week, Sagawi, also a three-year-old gelding, starts alongside in post two for driver Jocelyn Gendron and figures to be in the hunt once again. The race favourite is D Gs Ninja from post four for driver Jonathan Lachance. Also only age three, D Gs Ninja has been racing against the best sophomore pacers in Quebec this season and has just one win in nine starts for trainer Guylaine Fortin, but he has been race timed in 1:56 in his last start. Also a contender in the race is Magster (post three) and return winners Windsong Louis (post eight) and Clinton Panic (post five).
Missing from the driver’s colony on Sunday is 3R’s leading driver Louis-Philippe Roy and veteran reinsman Gatean Lamy.
First race post time Sunday is 1:30 p.m. For a free race program, visit quebecjockeyclub.com.
(With files from QJC)