Hippodrome 3R this Sunday will host its richest harness racing program of the 2016 season with more than $500,000 in purses headlined by eight championship finals of the Quebec-Bred Series.
Two and three-year-old trotters and pacers will be on display in the finals of the Breeders Cup and Future Stars Series. The finals culminate four weeks of preliminary round competition with the top eight point earners returning for the finals.
The four Breeders Cup Finals for three-year-olds each goes for a purse of $65,000 and the four Future Stars Finals for two-year-olds each races for a purse of $55,000. First race post time Sunday is 1:30 p.m.
“With a very nice weather forecast for Sunday and more than $500,000 in purse money I think this will be a super day of racing,” said Vincent Trudel, general manager at 3R. “Plus we will have top drivers Daniel Dube and Sylvain Filion competing in many of the races. Perhaps we might also see a track record or two set.”
Here are the headliners in each of the eight championship finals.
Three-Year-Old Colt Pace – Race 9: This division will be a real slugfest as it was during the series preliminary rounds. Sports Authority (post 2) returns to 3R having competing the last month in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots. Two starts back he took his lifetime mark at Kawartha Downs in 1:51.2.
HP Patriote (post four) has the most impressive record this year, winning ten of his twelve starts this year and comes into the race off a 1:54 record at Rideau Carleton. Mr Mach Jimmy (post 5) was last year’s two-year-old champion and beat Sports Authority at 3R three starts back in 1:56.2.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace – Race 5: The entry of HP Sissy (post one) and HP Pandora (post 5) are the morning line favourite with HP Sissy the stronger of the two, having a record this year at Mohawk Racetrack in 1:54. Wild River Swan (post four) was sharp during the series and two starts back took her lifetime mark at 1:57.2 at Georgian Downs.
Miss Babe Delight (post seven) was the series champion last year but drew a tough outside post for the final.
Three-Year-Old Colt Trot – Race 3: Track record holder and last year’s champion, Wildwild Men (post six) returns to 3R in prime shape, having won the Dream Of Glory Final at Hanover Raceway in 1:58.2 plus two legs of the Breeders Cup Series.
He will be put to the test against a three-horse entry that includes Holiday Party (post seven), who has seven wins in twelve starts and a record of 1:57 along with Andovers Choice (post four) and Tuscans Memory (post eight).
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot – Race 6: Carl Duguay’s Y S Suzanne (post 6) has been first, second or third in her last five starts, losing two of them in photo finishes with a record of 2:01.2. Y A Jailhouse Jodi (post seven) was an easy winner in her last start in 2:02.4 and gets the driving services of Daniel Dube while Artemis Duharas (post four) enters the final off two strong second place finishes.
Two-Year-Old Colt Pace – Race 8: Makasi (post 6) has been all the talk in Quebec as two weeks ago he became the fastest freshman pacer in track history with his seven-length romp in 1:55.2 on Prix D’Ete Day. He backed that mile up last week with a 1:56.3 victory.
Despite being winless in four starts, Majo Lou Beka (post one) has been second or third in his last three starts and last week closed very well against Makasi to be second by only a half-length. Wildriverbumblebee (post five) has yet to finish off the board in his four starts and improves with every race.
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace – Race 2: The richest off all the two and three-year-olds racing in the finals, Yaris Bayama (post eight) sports $87,000 in earnings with four wins in just six lifetime starts for trainer Yves Filion. She has a lifetime mark of 1:52.4 at Mohawk in the Ontario Sires Stakes, is on a three-race winning streak and two starts back rewrote the track record at 3R for fillies with a 1:56.4 triumph.
Queen Elsa (post one) is owned, bred and will be driven by Daniel Dube and was second and third the last two weeks to Yaris Bayama. She has a record of 1:57.1 in a baby race. Kinnderuntouchable (post seven) has won two of her four starts, both in the series.
Two-Year-Old Colt Trot – Race Four: Capteur De Reve (post four) is the fastest in the field, winning last week in 2:01 with an impressive last quarter mile in :29.4 and gets Dube in the sulky for the first time. Bastiano (post six) is also a return winner in 2:03.1 while Kinnder Dangerous (post two) has been first, second and third in his four lifetime starts.
Two-Year-Old Filly Trot – non-wagering to be held between the 5th and 6th races: Due to the entry of Joyce Lavec (post five) and KFB Filante (post two), this is the only non-wagering race on the program. That is because Joyce Lavec has been outstanding, demolishing her competition the last two starts by a total of 44 and three-quarter lengths.
In her last start she broke stride before the start and still came back to score in a romp and has won three of her four starts this year.
Taurus P V (post four) has been first, second and third in her last three starts and Muscle Do (post six) has been second in her last two starts.
Racing fans are encouraged to arrive early at 3R Sunday for seating as a packed house of 5,000 fans are expected for the richest day of racing at 3R this season.
To view entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R
(with files from QJC)