It was only the second time that driver Guy Gagnon sat behind Tite Beer En Mass in a race, but horse and driver seem to get along very well as the 8-1 longshots led from start to finish in the Breeders Trophy Series on Friday (Aug. 18) at Hippodrome 3R.
This was the final preliminary round of the series for three-year-old trotters. Now the top eight point-earners will return on Sunday, Sept. 10 for their respective $65,000 finals and Tite Beer En Mass will be a finalist.
In the fifth race $10,000 division for three-year-old trotting fillies, Tite Beer En Mass and Gagnon left from post two and took the early lead with Kenogami Courage (Stephane Brosseau) sitting in second place as they passed the first quarter in :28.4.
Gagnon was then able to back down the pace going to the half-mile in just 1:00 and that flushed race favourite Dont Treat Me Bad and driver Jocelyn Gendron first-over to challenge. But as they raced down the backstretch, Dont Treat Me Bad had trouble keeping up on the outside against Kenogami Courage while Tite Beer En Mass held the field at bay with a two-length lead going by the three-quarters in 1:30.2 and turning for home.
Tite Beer En Mass held 1-3/4 lengths clear at the wire for the 2:00.3 win with Dont Treat Me Bad second and Kenogami Courage third.
The winning time was a lifetime mark for Tite Beer En Mass, who is now trained by Gagnon for Ecuries Maguire Inc., which bred the Muscle Mass-Beer Maggs filly, and co-owns with Jean-Francois Maguire and Julie Malenfant. The win was her first in eight starts this season and second victory lifetime. She paid $19.30 to win.
Kinnder Motown (pictured above) made it a clean sweep of the preliminary rounds after winning the ninth race $10,000 Breeders Trophy Series division for the three-year-old colt and gelding trotters.
Illusioniste Gale (Jerome Lombart) was first on the lead with Auguste (Stephane Brosseau) sitting the pocket trip to the first quarter in :28.1.
Then the 1-5 race favourites, Kinnder Motown and driver Robert Shepherd, went first-over from third right at the half-mile in :59. They were able to advance and collar race leader Illusioniste Gale in the back then took over the lead right before the three-quarters in 1:28.2 and started to pull away from the field.
Down the stretch, no one was going to catch Kinnder Motown as he went on to win by 6-1/2 lengths in 1:58.4. Timonier (Pascal Berube) came on for second with Auguste third.
The win was the sixth in just nine starts this year for Kinnder Motown, who is trained by Isabelle Darveau for owner Rejean Lemieux of Quebec City. The Muscle Mass-Witch Way gelding paid $2.50 to win.
“He trots nice and he’s smart,” said Shepherd about Kinnder Motown. “He can leave, you can take him back. He does whatever you ask of him. He has a beautiful gait and he’s big. He can race from anywhere, he’s pretty smart that way.”
Shepherd had the hot hands on Friday scoring a driving triple while Gagnon had a driving-training double.
Gagnon's other winner was the undefeated Quebec stakes star Wild Dream Men as the two-year-old Kadabra-Cersei Hanover gelding took a new mark of 2:02.3 in a conditioned trot to improve his record to three-for-three.
Live harness racing resumes at 3R on Sunday, Aug. 20 with the third and final preliminary round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old pacing colts and fillies. Post time on Sunday is 12 noon. For a free race program, visit hippodrome3r.ca.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Hippodrome 3R.
(With files from Quebec Jockey Club)