Quebec champion starts off 2023 on winning note

Four-time Quebec Champion trotter Capteur De Reve (Muscle Mass) started off his 2023 season with an impressive score in capturing a non-winners trot at the Hippodrome 3R Sunday (May 28) afternoon.

The 6^th race co-feature saw Keepall and driver Pascal Berube lead the way early on with Explosive Motion (Sylvain Fontaine) sitting the pocket trip to the first quarter in :30.1.

Berube was able to back off Keepall to the half mile in 1:00.4 as Miles Of Muscle (Marie-Claude Auger) started up on the outside. Then race favorite Capteur De Reve, who got away in fourth place after having to start in the second tier post 9, flushed right out first-over and started to gain on Keepall by the three-quarters in 1:31.

On the final turn Capteur De Reve and Keepall were eye to eye and it took the length of the stretch for Capteur De Reve to beat Keepall at the wire by a long neck in 2:01.3. The pocket-sitting Explosive Matter snuck up the inside to be in the photo in third.

CAPTEUR DE REVE REPLAY

Capteur De Reve, now age 9, is conditioned by former H3R leading trainer Maxime Velaye for the Provoquante Stable of Mirabel, who also bred the gelding. He paid $2.80 to win.

Owner-trainer Gina Bragagnolo won the lion’s share of the Preferred Pace as her two stablemates from Rideau Carlton, invaded H3R and finished 1^st and 3^rd in the Preferred Pace.

The 7^th race co-feature got underway with BS Tyrrific (Jimmy Gagnon) going right out to the lead with Bay Bries (Jessica Turenne) getting the two-hole trip. BS Tyrrific’s stablemate, Perpetual Rock (Pet Rock) got away third but then driver Pascal Berube brushed the five-year-old gelding to the front. The first quarter went in :28.3.

Perpetual Rock cut the mile to the half in :58.4 as La Petite Grise (Robert Shepherd) came first-over, giving second-over cover to last week’s winner, Siddhartha (Stephane Brosseau).

As they raced down the backstretch, Le Petite Grise was unable to gain ground on pacesetter Perpectual Rock, so Brosseau sent Siddhartha three-wide and was able to loop around Le Petite Grise at the three-quarters in 1:27.3 and was then first-over against Perpetual Rock.

At the top of the stretch, Siddhartha was within a half a length of Perpetual Rock, but the Rock was too tough and held off Siddhartha down the stretch to win by one length in 1:56.2. Siddhartha held for second place with BS Tyrrific third.

PERPETUAL ROCK REPLAY

It was the second win of the season for Perpetual Rock, who is owned by trainer Gina Bragagnolo with Lyne Bragagnolo. He paid $2.70 to win.

In the 2^nd race Preferred Trot, Frido PV (Muscle Mass) and driver Jonathan Lachance remain unbeaten in 2023 with their second straight win. The even money favorite came first-over in the backstretch to take the lead and win, going away by three and one-half lengths in 1:58.3. He has now won two straight for trainer Yves St Jacques and owner Marcel Brouillard, paying $4.10 to win.

Track Notes: It was not all race favorites coming in on Sunday. Of the 11 races, six were won by race favorite, but four of the five non-favorites that won paid big prices including Flashjack Soleil ($41.90), Way Over ($41.90), Payback ($32.10) and Windsung Cheyenne ($20.80). Trainer Gina Bragagnolo was the only one able to send out two winners on the card. Live racing resumes at H3R next Sunday, June 4 first post 12:00 noon.

For complete race results, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club