Filly takes on older mares again

Since the beginning of July there have been harness racing stakes races every Sunday at the Hippodrome 3R (12:10 pm first post). This is the first weekend of no stake’s events, but that does not mean there are no stories about the excellent race card.

A classic battle will take place in the ninth race Preferred-Handicap Pace for the fillies and mares.

There is just one filly in the field, the three-year-old daughter of Control The Moment, Platine Alpha (post 6), who is no stranger to competing against the best mares at H3R.

She raced well last week against the best in her $60,000 Breeder Trophy Series Final, and finished a strong third place for regular reinsman Pascal Berube. Prior to that start, Platine Alpha was tired at both Woodbine and Rideau Carleton in the Ontario Sire Stakes Gold and an overnite event and was a respectable fifth place finisher in both events.

Platine Alpha is also tied with another filly, the trotter X O X O, as the two winningest horses at H3R this season, each with seven wins over the half mile oval.

Bred, owned and trained by Sylvain Tremblay and his Alpha Stable of Metabechouan, Platine Alpha earlier this season collected many of her seven wins racing against older horses at H3R and is the 3-1 second choice in feature race. Her trainer sits atop the leader board at H3R with 25 wins from his stable with Francis Richard second with 18 wins and Maxime Velaye third with 17 wins.

But there are eight other rivals in the race and the standout of the older mares is none other than Kiss Me Bad, who will be after her fourth straight win in this class for owner, trainer and driver Steven Gagnon of Sorel Tracy.

This five-year-old mare by Badlands Hanover has been outstanding as of late for Gagnon. Kiss Me Bad gets handicapped with the outside post eight. She has started that far out in her last start at H3R and still won with ease in 1:57 and prior to that a lifetime tying mark of 1:56.

Kiss Me Bad does not have much leaving ability, but once Gagnon gets her into gear in the backstretch, she has been unbeatable in her last three starts.

Other standouts in the field include Fancy Girl (post 2), who returns after a month’s rest and was very sharp before taking the break. She will be driven by Francis Picard. Wild River Swan (post 5) is another top mare returning from a brief layoff and she will feature the return of driver Pierre Luc Roy to the driving colony at H3R.

Y C Easy (post 7) with Steeve Genois driving and Sophie’s Cam (post 4) for driver Stephane Brosseau are also contenders in the race.

There are 11 races on the Sunday program at H3R that gets underway at 12:10 pm. A free race program is available by clicking here.

By Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club