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The news is not really new news. Brothers Louis-Philippe Roy and Pierre Luc Roy have been breeding for a few years and have successfully present us some of the harness racing products they have developed.
The tasks are well distributed: the farm on which newborns are born and raised is the responsibility of Pierre-Luc and his wife Maude Larouche. Once ready, they are sent to Ontario for the first steps and practices, often until the first qualifiers, then we see some of them at home, at the Hippodrome 3R, for the opening round of the Future Stars Series.
On Sunday (July 22) H3R presents three divisions of the Future Stars Series for two-year-old pacing fillies and colts and the Roy Brothers have both a homebred filly and colt entered. There are thirteen fillies competing in two divisions and seven colts in one division.
The two filly divisions each race for a purse of $7,500 while the lone colt division goes for $10,000. There are three preliminary rounds with the top eight point earned returning Sunday, September 10 for their $55,000 finals.
The first filly division is the 5th race and feature’s the Roy brothers Ronda Du Lac (Shadow Play). She starts from post four for driver Pierre-Luc Roy. The two brothers own the filly with Jean Allaire.
“We bought the mare in April 2020 from Dale Hunter,” Pierre-Luc Roy explained.” He is the former Nordiques. She had had a very promising start to her career but had been injured and had never been the same thereafter. She has a record of 1.52.2. We chose Shadow Play as our progenitor. Ronda was born with us, on the farm and grew up there. She is a beautiful filly, a beautiful piece as they say, and she also has a good head.”
She has been trained and racing at Grand River Raceway where in her last start she sat a pocket-trip for driver LPR and came on to win with ease by two and three-quarter lengths in 2:04.2.
“At 18 months, Louis-Philippe took her back, tamed it, prepared it and qualified it twice,” Pierre-Luc explained. “For me, it will be Sunday, a very first contact in the sulky. She arrived last weekend. I can’t wait for that moment to drive her. After all, she is a filly that Maude and I cared for for several months.”
Ronda Du Lac takes on return winner Dream A Freight (Jimmy Freight) from post five and YS La Belle Vie (Bettors Delight) in post one.
The second filly division is the 7th race where return winners Breedingbankrupsy (Sportswriter) in post one takes on Premiere Passion (Windfall Blue Chip) in post six and Wicked Discovery (McWicked) from post seven.
In the 9th race, seven colts will occupy the track and Olaf Du Lac (Sportswriter) will be the favorite, again for the Roy brothers. In his last start he wired the field by four lengths in an amazing 2:00.4.
“It’s an offshoot of Norvena Hanover,” Pierre-Luc said. “Which we no longer have. He is the half-brother of Jafar Du Lac (p,3, 1:59.1H). He is an energetic foal, who likes challenges. He has a lot of speed. Louis-Philippe qualified him twice at Grand River. It will also be for me a first contact on the sulky.
“We also acquired a broodmare called My Lucky Word during the winter,” Pierre-Luc added. “She is pregnant with Trixton, but since she spent the winter with us, her offspring will be eligible in Quebec. Maude and I are also involved in the 2-year-old Anne Sue who won a Grassroots on Monday in Mohawk. Olaf, according to the morning odds, will have to fight Dream Choice, a Courtly Choice trained by Sylvain Tremblay.
Most of the colts and fillies we will see on Sunday, have only one or two qualifying races, often not a single real race. Big issues that could see the emergence of talents that we do not suspect.
And that’s how the peak racing season at H3R is in full swing. Lovers of young horses are served at will and horse people, they are actively preparing the succession.
Post time is 12:00 noon for the ten-race card. For a free race program, visit here.
by Daniel Delisle, for the Quebec Jockey Club
