A tale of two mares, one trotter, one pacer

There are two four-year-old harness racing mares who headline the co-feature trot and pace at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (Oct. 22). It’s a Tale Of Two Mares in Quebec.

The first is nicknamed the Princess of Trot from last season. Her name is Stella Alpha (Royalty For Life) and she competes in the 5^th race trot on Sunday.

Bred, owned and raced by Sylvain Tremblay’s Alpha Stable, Stella Alpha starts from the outside in post seven for regular driver Pascal Berube.

Now age 4, Stella Alpha was a real champion at age two and three. She was the Quebec Champion at age 2, winning four times and taking a record of 2:01 in the Championship Final, winning in a romp by seven lengths.

Then at age 3 she was crowned “The Princess” after recording an amazing 11 wins, the winningest horse at H3R last year, and she set the track record for her age and gait with a 1:58 mark that still stands today.

But 2023 has not been that good a season for Stella Alpha. She has but two wins in 20 starts. Then again there are no real classes for her to race in and she has had to compete against the best male trotters all season long.

For this start on Sunday, Stella Alpha is actually dropping in class and despite her outside post position, has a shot at regaining her winning ways. She is part of an entry with stablemate Keepall (post 3) for driver William Roy. Perhaps we will once again see the Princess Of Trot back in the winner’s circle.

Her main competition will come from race favorite Awsome Paul (post 8), who is returning off a 2:00.4 victory for driver Steven Gagnon along with another return winner in My Mini Miracle (post 6) who won her last start in 2:00.2 for driver Simon Delisle.

Then there is the winningest horse at H3R this season in the 10^th race co-feature pace and her name is NY Hardcore (American Ideal). She is also age four and starts from post five for driver Robert Shepherd.

Unraced at age two, NY Hardcore had but three wins last year with a record of 1:56.1 taken in the USA. But this season things are different since the mare was purchased by Sonia Joly and racing for H3R’s leading trainer, David Pilon.

NY Hardcore now sports seven wins on the year, the most of any horse at H3R this season. In her last six starts she has won an impressive five times with one of those miles tying her lifetime mark.

Just last week NY Hardcore and Shepherd handled this same class of mares, leading from start to finish in 1:58.2 by two and three-quarter lengths.

Her main competition will come from Jimbelina (post 3) for driver Marie-Claude Auger, return winner Shes Got The Luck (post 2) with Jessica Turenne driving and Dads Princess (post 1) for driver Stephane Brosseau.

The show on Sunday begins at 12:00 noon for the 11-race card. For more information and a free race program, visit here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club