Four return winners headline Preferred Pace

Of the nine harness racing horses entered in the Preferred Pace at the Hippodrome 3R in Quebec on Sunday (May 21), there are four return winners in the field who will make the race a wide-open affair.

The 5/2 morning line favorite and rightly so, is D Gs De Vito (Sportswriter) who last week was able to close with a burst of speed on the final turn in posting a 1:56.4 triumph for driver Jonathan Lachance.

Starting from post six in the 9^th race feature, it was the first win of the season for D Gs De Vito, who is trained by Guylaine Fortin for owner-breeder Daniel Surprenant of Saint-Valentin.

Proberts Legacy (Dali) was the most impressive winner last week of the field as the eight-year-old gelding led wire to wire by six open lengths in 1:57.2 for regular driver Pascal Berube. It was the third win of the season for Proberts Legacy, who won earlier this season at Mohawk Park in 1:55.1. He will start from post three for trainer Marc-Andre Simoneau.

Starting alongside Proberts Legacy in post four is Avid (He’s Watching), who also was able to wire the field last week at H3R, winning by a head in 1:57.3 for driver Marie-Claude Auger. It was the first win of the season for the five-year-old gelding who is trained by Martin Roy.

The fourth return winner has the toughest job of all and that is Spectrum Seelster (Mach Three), who is saddled with starting from the far outside in post eight for driver Francis Picard.

Trained by Charles Gaudreault and co-owned with brothers Daniel and Maxim, Spectrum Seelster is making his first start of the 2023 season. The seven-year-old gelding did look impressive in his 1:59.3 qualifying race victory.

There are also three mares taking on their male rivals in the Preferred Pace that should be recognized as they have beaten the boys this prior year.

Fancy Girl (Westwardho Hanover) drew the second tier in post nine for driver Jessica Turenne. In her last two starts she was second by a half a length in 1:58.1 last week and prior to that Fancy Girl wired the field at H3R in 1:57.2.

La Petite Grise (Sportswriter) goes from post five for driver Robert Shepherd and was a seven-time winner last year. The pretty grey mare goes from post five. Rounding out the mares is Platine Alpha (Control The Moment), who goes from post two for driver Jimmy Gagnon.

Other standouts in the field are Siddhartha (So Surreal) from post one for driver Stephane Brosseau. Siddhartha won two starts back in 1:57.3 and last week closed from sixth place on the final turn to be second to D Gs De Vito.

Mickeymaksomespeed (Mickey Hanover) showed some of the form that won him eight races last year, with a third place finish in the Preferred Pace last week. He goes from post seven for driver Jocelyn Gendron to round off the field.

There are ten races on the Hippodrome 3R card that begins on Sunday at 12:00 pm. For a free race program, visit here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club