There is more than $500,000 in purses up for grabs as Hippodrome 3R hosts its Super Sunday Quebec-Bred Championship Finals for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers on Sunday (Sept. 11).
The big race day has drawn world-class drivers Daniel Dube and Louis-Philippe Roy (LPR) back home to compete in the 12-race program that gets underway at 12:00 noon. Dube has nine drives while Roy is listed in 11 races.
Here is a brief synopsis of the eight finals:
Race 2 - $55,000 Final for two-year-old trotting fillies
HP Run For Dan (Alarm Detector) is the favourite from post one for driver Robert Shepherd. She has only one win in the series and can wire the field provided she stays on stride. Kenogami Courage (Lookslikeachpndale) and driver Stephane Brosseau always stays on stride and has a mark of 2:02.1 but must overcome starting from post eight.
Race 4 - $65,000 Final for three-year-old trotting colts
It may be a short field of only five starters, but four of them have a shot at winning. The entry of Royalty Beer (Royalty For Life) and Cleveland Massimo (Muscle Mass) will be tough to beat. Royalty Beer (post one) is last year’s returning champion and has LPR in the sulky. He has a record in the series of 1:58.4. Cleveland Massimo (post four) will be driven by Robert Shepherd and has four wins this year, the fastest a lifetime mark of 1:59.3. Also a contender is Kenogami Rebel (post two) for Stephane Brosseau with a record this year of 1:57.1.
Race 6 - $65,000 Final for three-year-old trotting fillies
Returning champion last year and the “Princess of Trot” at 3R this year, Stella Alpha (Royalty For Life) has been superb this year. Her eight wins, seven at 3R, is the most by any horse this season. She has a record of 1:58 for driver Pascal Berube and goes from post two Sunday. Her main rival will be HP Felicity (Muscle Mass) from post five for driver Robert Shepherd. She has three seconds in a row and one of those seconds was a loss to Stella Alpha in the series.
Race 7 - $55,000 final for two-year-old pacing colts
Until last week’s loss to older horses, Little Diamond (Sportswriter) reeled off four straight wins. He looks to make a clean sweep of the series, starting from post three for driver William Roy. Despite being winless in six starts, Albert Alpha (Hes Watching) has five seconds in six lifetime starts for driver Pascal Berube. They go from post four.
Race 8 - $65,000 Final for three-year-old pacing fillies
This is one of the toughest divisions. Majo Sport Bella (Sportswriter) is the race favourite from post two for driver Jonathan Lachance. She has only three lifetime starts and has won two of them, the fastest in 1:59.3. Then there is Shes Rockandfame (Hes Watching) for LPR from the rail. She is coming off a 1:59.1 score, and can win from on or off the pace. Other contenders include Got Charlie (post eight) and Kinder Dirty Diana (post four).
Race 9 - $55,000 Final for two-year-old trotting colts
Auguste (Bar Hopping) and Kinnder Thinktwice (Wheeling N Dealin) have been battling it out in the series and both have beaten each other twice this season. Sunday is where it really counts. Auguste (post three) has been razor-sharp for driver Pascal Berube with two wins in the series and three second place finishes in his last five starts, the fastest a 2:02 clocking.
Kinnder Thinktwice (post one) also has a record of 2:02. He has never finished off the board in his five starts with two wins in overnight events for driver Stephane Brosseau.
Race 10 - $55,000 Final for two-year-old pacing fillies
Here is where Dube and Roy get to duke it out. Dube drives YS Poisson Davril (Sportswriter) from post two. She has won two of her last three starts and last week uncorked a 1:58.4 lifetime mark.
Pocahontas Du Lac (Betterthancheddar) goes from post six with Roy in the bike. Roy bred the filly and co-owns her with his brother, Pierre-Luc Roy, who got the filly to the final driving her to two wins in the series. She has a record of 1:58.2.
The spoiler in the race could be Godiva Shadow Girl (Shadow Play) from post three for driver Robert Shepherd. She has won five of her six starts with a record of 1:58.2. Other contenders include YS Sensationalcity (post eight), who is coming off a 2:01.1 triumph and All She Can (post one) for driver Samuel Fillion, who has been a game second in her last two starts.
Race 11 - $65,000 Final for tree-year-old pacing colts
The finale of Super Sunday is a good one, as Aladdin (Shadow Play) draws post eight for Roy and comes into the final on a three-race winning streak, the fastest a 1:54 mile last week at Rideau Carleton. Then there is Jack Panic (Sportswriter) from post six for driver Robert Shepherd. They have won two of their last three starts, the fastest a 1:56.4 romp by 11-1/4 lengths at 3R.
In addition to the eight stakes races, the Quebec Jockey Club has also programmed three $10,000 Invitationals — trotters in the third race, pacing horses in the fifth race and pacing mares in the 12th.
First race post time is 12:00 noon. To view entries, click on one of the following links: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R || Sunday Program Pages - Hippodrome 3R (courtesy TrackIT).
(Quebec Jockey Club)