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Trois-Rivieres, QC – The 2022 harness racing stakes season in Quebec got underway on a beautiful warm and sunny Friday afternoon, July 14 at the Hippodrome 3R with two $10,000 divisions of the opening round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old trotters.
The very first opening round for the colts and geldings saw the photo finish camera having to decide the winner in a three-horse finish.
The 3rd race began with Sammy Justice and driver Pascal Berube taking control of the race from the very start with the race favorite, Kenogami Rebel (Stephane Brosseau) sitting the pocket seat to the first quarter in :30.
They raced single file past the half mile in 1:01.1 and just entering the backstretch, Orlys Shadow (Stephane Bardier) came first-over with the entry of Royalty Beer (Kevin Maguire) second-over and Cleveland Massimo (Muscle Mass, Robert Shepherd) third-over.
By the three-quarters in 1:31.2, Sammy Justice still had a comfortable lead and then Orlys Shadow backed off first-over, causing Royalty Beer to move three-wide only he struck his hoof on the wheel of Orlys Shadow and went off-stride. Cleveland Massimo and Shepherd were able to clear the two horses and were still in the hunt.
As they reached the top of the stretch, Brosseau sent Kenogami Rebel after Sammy Justice and then Cleveland Massimo joined the fray, and three horses crossed the wire together in 2:01.
The photo finish camera showed that Cleveland Massino won by a short head over Kenogami Rebel with Sammy Justice third.
It was the second win this season and timed the mark for Cleveland Massimo, a gelding, trained and co-owned by Jean-Francois Maguire with Julie Malenfant, Richard Legris and 9299 0522 Quebec, Inc. He paid $4.90 to win.
CLEVELAND MASSIMO REPLAY
There are three rounds of preliminary competition leading towards the $60,000 finals on Sunday, September 11.
In the 6th race $10,000 division for the three-year-old trotting fillies, last year’s Quebec champion, Stella Alpha, scored the biggest romp of the year at H3R, winning by 14 ½ lengths.
Pascal Berube sent the 3/5 favorite Stella Alpha (Royalty For Life) to the front and as the second choice in the race, HP Felicity (Robert Shepherd) tried to get the two-hole spot, went off-stride and was out of the race.
Holding the field at bay, Stella Alpha cruised to the half mile in 1:00.2, increasing her lead more and more. By three-quarters in 1:30.2 she was leading by nine lengths. El Gio (Stephane Brosseau) was second with La Bromontoise (Jerome Lombart) third.
It was the third straight win and seven of the season in twelve starts for Stella Alpha. The filly won six of those races right at H3R, making her the winningest horse of the season.
She was bred and is owned by the Alpha Stable, who’s Sylvain Tremblay is the trainer. Stella Alpha, who is a track record holder at H3R, paid $3.30 to win.
STELLA ALPHA REPLAY
The 4th race $6,000 Mares Preferred Handicap Pace saw the race favorite, Platine Alpha (Control The Moment) and driver Pascal Berube lead from start to finish in 1:56.2 by two and one-half lengths over You Rock Girl Kir (Stephane Brosseau) with Kiss Me Bad (Steven Gagnon) third.
It was the fourth win this year for Platine Alpha, a four-year-old mare trained by Sylvain Tremblay. She was bred and is owned by Tremblay’s Alpha Stable and last year was the winningest horse at H3R.
In the 5th race Preferred Handicap Trot it was Bonfire Bash (Angus Hall) and driver Francis Picard winning for third straight time, leading from start to finish.
Bonfire Bash led from the start, trading the lead quickly with Muscles Forever (Sylvain Fontaine) who ended up sitting the two-hole trip. Bonfire Bash cut fractions of :29.1 and :59.1 to the half mile. Then Archimed Alpha (Pascal Berube) coming first-over with race favorite Texaco Man (Robert Shepherd) second-over to the three-quarters in 1:29.1.
On the final turn, Archimed Alpha came after Bonfire Bash with Texaco Man three-wide and then he went off-stride, leaving the two leaders to duke it out in the stretch with Bonfire Bash winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:59.1. Archimed Alpha was second with Morally Flexible (Daniel Theroux) third.
It was a lifetime mark for Bonfire Bash. The six-year-old gelding is trained by Serge Houde for the Michel Carrier, Inc. Stable and paid $20.30 to win.
Track Notes: H3R’s leading driver Pascal Berube scored a driving triple Friday. Francis Picard had a driving double and H3R’s leading trainer, Sylvain Tremblay, also had a double. Coming up Sunday at H3R is the opening round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old pacers with two divisions for colts and one for fillies. First race post time Sunday is 12:00 noon. For a free race program, click here.
For complete race results, click here.
by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club
