Two world-class drivers, Louis-Philippe Roy and Daniel Dube, are returning to their home province of Quebec for Super Sunday, Sept. 10, to compete in the $500,000 Quebec Championships at Hippodrome 3R.
As the richest day of horse racing in all of Quebec, the 12-race card that begins at 12 p.m. features eight championships: four of the finals of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-olds with each division for trotters and pacers going for a purse of $65,000; plus, four finals of the Future Stars Series for two-year-olds trotters and pacers, each racing for a purse of $55,000.
There are also three $10,000 Invitational races, one for the trotters, one for the pacing mares and one for the pacing males.
Louis-Philippe Roy, a three-time O’Brien Award winner, has drives in 11 of the 12 races. Three of those races, all finals, Roy will be driving horses that he owns and has bred. Throughout the series, his older brother, Pierre-Luc Roy, has been driving the young horses.
Daniel Dube, born and raised in Trois-Rivieres, has been a leading driver wherever he has competed and is closing in on his 10,000th career win. He has more than $136 million in purse earnings. Dube has drives in six of the 12 races.
Standouts in the finals include the two-year-old trotting filly, Kenogami Queen (race four, post three), who is the only horse that has won all three of their preliminary rounds and seeks to make it a clean sweep for driver Stephane Brosseau.
Pocahontas Du Lac (race five, post six), who was bred and is co-owned by Louis-Philippe Roy, is seeking a second straight championship crown having won the final last year as a two-year-old. She will have it tough going against Ladycorona (post five) and YS Sensational City (post seven).
Wild Dream Men (race six, post four) is another standout two-year-old trotter, who has won three of his four lifetime starts for trainer/driver Guy Gagnon.
The Super Sunday weekend at the Hippodrome 3R gets underway on Friday, Sept. 8 with an 11-race twilight live card starting at 4 p.m. The fifth race pace features Proberts Legacy (post three), who is going for his third straight win for driver Pascal Berube. Another return winner in the field is Born A Rebel (post six), who ripped an impressive 1:55.4 victory in his last start for driver Stephane Brosseau.
(With files from the Quebec Jockey Club)