Industry builders honored Sunday at Hippodrome 3R

This Sunday in Quebec for the live harness racing card at the Hippodrome 3R it will be Builder’s Day, honoring first and foremost, the late Brian Paquet, who passed away just one month ago.

Paquet was involved as a breeder and owner of Standardbreds. He also spent time serving as an industry leader with terms on the Board of the Canadian Standardbred Horse Society for decades including terms as Vice President. He then also served on the Board of Standardbred Canada, with terms as the Vice President while also sitting on the executive committee for several years. He was also on the board of the Quebec Jockey Club as well as the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame’s Election Committee.

In his memory on Sunday are two $60,000 Invitational pacing events, one for the horses and one for the fillies and mares.

This special day will also honor other Builders of the Standardbred industry in Quebec and Canada.

First is Lucien Bombardier, whom there are two $17,250 races Sunday in his memory for two-year-old pacing fillies that is co-sponsored by Standardbred Canada.

Bombardier, who started out as a driver-trainer, worked 25 years in racetrack management where he played a role in developing many changes and innovations that helped make harness racing a major sport industry and earned him an enviable reputation on both sides of the border. He also served as a director of Harness Tracks of America and the Canadian Trotting Association. He was also a major owner and breeder.

Here are the other Builders that will be honored on Sunday.

BENOÎT CÔTÉ, Member of the Racing Canada Hall of Fame since 1981.

Looking for the best ambassador for the racing industry in Quebec, it is not necessary to look further: Benoit Côté. Originally from Quebec City and one of 12 children, Benoit got his passion for racing from his father, Alfred, a police officer who spent most of his free time training and racing horses in a small stable. Through his hard work, honesty and talent, Benoit Côté has greatly contributed to the promotion of harness racing in Quebec. During his career, Cote was a much sought after catch-driver throughout North America.

GILLES LACHANCE, a member of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame since 1997

The name Lachance is familiar to harness racing enthusiasts, not only in North America, but all over the world, largely due to the enormous popularity of driver Michel Lachance. But before his emergence, his older brother Gilles Lachance stood out as one of the best drivers ever produced in Canada, and Michel will tell you that his older brother is one of the main reasons why he has come so far in this sport. He was also in his time a breeder with horses that bore the GL label and was the first Quebecer ever to win a race in France.

GAÉTAN LAMY, Distinguished driver: nearly 37,000 races, 6,777 wins, $32 million in purses.

To speak of the driving skills of this five-foot-five-inch colossus is to take us back to the heyday of the Trois-Rivières racetrack, which he outrageously dominated for nineteen seasons. Figures that have propelled him into the Canadian elite more than once, as evidenced by his O’Brien Award for best driver in the country in 1992. In 1993, he did it again with a year of 533 wins, which placed him 6th in North America. Earnings followed the same trend with more than 2.1MS.

PIERRE LÉVESQUE, Member of the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame since 2008

In 1961, Pierre Lévesque operated a building materials business and several farms in the Eastern Townships of Quebec and decided to buy a few standardbred horses to race. Then, in 1965, he purchased the entire stable from Manitoba breeder Leon Sauteur, including the stallion Champ Adios and several broodmares that would form the basis of Angus Farm (named after the Aberdeen Angus herd of cattle that were bred there before horses). Ferme Angus has grown to become one of the largest breeding farms in Quebec, with at one time, some five stallions and a hundred broodmares.

ALAIN VEILLEUX, Breeder, Drummond Farm

Is there a committee in Canada and Quebec on which Alain Veilleux did not sit? The man, as we know, has been of all causes concerning the progression and expansion of the Standardbred horse racing industry. Veilleux served on Standardbred Canada, the Canadian Trotting Association that preceded the first, the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit of which he is still a member. His advice and extensive experience are still sought after today. He is still an active horse owner today.

There are 12-races on the Sunday race program that will begin at 12:00 noon. Returning to his home province for this special day is three-time O’Brien Award winning driver Louis-Philippe Roy.

The last Friday race card is tomorrow at H3R with an eight-race program beginning at a special post time of 3:00 pm.

For more information and free race programs, visit here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club