H3R closed this week, but racing at Mont-Joli

Trois-Rivieres, QC – As with every season of harness racing at the Hippodrome 3R, racing takes a break the first week of August for the Trois Rivieres Grand Prix auto races throughout the town. But do not despair Quebec fans, there will be racing in the province on Saturday Aug. 6.

The St-Joseph de Lepage 4G training facility of the Gaudreault family in Mont-Joli is scheduled to host nine pari-mutuel races as part of the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit. First race post time is 1:00 pm. The facility is 500 km (300 miles) east of Trois-Rivières.

A real magic trick for the promoters and for the Quebec Jockey Club and racing fans from all over Quebec will be able to bet on Saturday’s races. They will only have to connect to the HPI Hippodrome 3R site and not only will they see the races, but they will also be able to bet. This will delight all racing enthusiasts.

The program is familiar to the regulars of the Regional Circuit, with its challenges, its races with some horses that compete twice, and especially its invitations. In fact, there will be three; one for trotters and one for pacers with each time $4,000 in purses, but also a main feature, an Invitational Pace for a purse of $10,000.

This is a very attractive purse and formidable racing machines entered include Jaydens Place (recent winner of the Derby de la Baie), Mickeymaksomespeed (he has just set the track record at Domaine 4G), Spectrum Seelster, a bomb at the start signal, and Aethon of Mr. Jean Laroche himself, in short competitors who should give quite a show.

Add to these fast horses, drivers Pascal Bérubé, Francis Picard, Maxim Gaudreault, and you have the necessary ingredients for a frenzied race.

For those who would be worried about missing the big races of The Meadowlands, know that the best races presented there, are placed at the end of their program: the Sam McKee will be contested at 15:48, the Oaks at 16:48 and the Hambletonian around 18:35. At that time, the races will be over in St-Joseph de Lepage.

The St-Joseph-de-Lepage site is remarkable, as can be seen by clicking here.

To view Saturday’s entries, click here.

 by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club