It’s retirement time for 14yo Iron Phil

Throughout North America harness racing it is becoming retirement time for 14-year-olds. And this Sunday, October 29, one of the first of these senior citizens of racing, Iron Phil (King Tutpankhamen), will hang up his shoes in a special ceremony at the Hippodrome 3R in Quebec.

Iron Phil is not a household name in racing except in the province of Quebec, where he raced for pretty much his entire career.

He was trained and co-owned for most of his career by Nathalie Migneault and co-owned with Eric Dechamplain of Saint-Donat and win, place or draw, after he competes in the 4^th race pace on Sunday, he will retire from horse racing. He was bred in Quebec by Stephane Brosseau and Jean Beaulieu.

Some horses that are competing well can continue to race after age 14, but usually only in amateur or fair races.

As for Iron Phil, Sunday is his last hurrah. With the exception of this, his 12^th straight year of racing, the bay gelding has won a race every year of his career.

This season he is 0 for 16, but don’t count him out yet.

Iron Phil is the 3-1 second choice in the 4^th race for driver Jocelyn Gendron. Iron Phil has a record of 1:56 taken at age 6 right at the Hippodrome 3R. He has made 245 starts with 27 wins, 52 second and 50 third place finishes.

No matter where he finishes on Sunday, after the race there will be a special retirement ceremony in the winner’s circle for Iron Phil. It will be a fitting event honoring a warhorse, one of only a few in North America to have raced every year of their career.

The main event on Sunday is the 9^th race Preferred Handicap Pace where Partyintheshadows (Shadow Play) goes for his third straight win for driver Robert Shepherd and trainer David Pilon.

Handicapped with starting from the far outside in post 8, Partyintheshadows put in one of his best miles ever last week in this class at H3R, romping by six and one-half lengths in 1:54.1. It was his fifth win of the season for owner Francois Morin of Beauceville.

Also looking for his third straight win is Delicate Sound (State Treasurer) from post five for driver Pascal Berube and trainer Marc-Andre Simoneau. Other contenders in the race include D Gs De Vito (post 7), Celia Bayama (post 3) and the third return winner in the field, Do You See It (post 1).

First race post time Sunday at H3R is 12:00 noon. After Sunday’s card there will be just two more Sunday afternoon cards left for the 2023 race season at H3R. For more information and a free race program, visit here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club