Jaydens Place wins three-mile race

Jaydens Place (Vintage Master) came out on top of a last-lap battle to win the 3 Mille race over three miles at St. Joseph de Lepage on Saturday (Jul. 23).

The nine-year-old held position in third as the five-horse field settled in for the long journey. Driver Stephane Gendron spent some of the gelding’s energy to brush to the front in the midst of the second mile and took command.

Gendron was forced to put the gelding to a drive coming into the final lap as Stellar Feller (Maxim Gaudreault) popped the pocket. The pair threw down around the final circuit, and Jaydens Place edged away to a decisive advantage around the final turn to take the victory in a total time of 6:32.2.

Stellar Feller fought valiantly and finished second by a length-and-a-half. Tobins Terror (Antoine Desrochers) finished four-and-a-half lengths behind the winner in third.

It was the second extended distance race of Jaydens Place’s 163-start career; he finished ninth over a mile-and-a-sixteenth at The Raceway at Western Fair District in 2021. Michel Audet trains him for Francois Morin of Beauceville. The gelding has earned $237,849 and won 18 times. He is entered again four days from today.

Gendron was involved in breaking the track record earlier in the card with Mickeymaksomespeed (Mickey Hanover), who crushed his rivals in the Invitation Pace. He led throughout and was 14 lengths on top at the wire in 1:55.2 to take away the record of second-place finisher Ninoscredit (Francis Picard). Ever Again (Desrochers) was third.

Ninoscredit set the previous standard of 1:55.4 in 2019.

Mickeymakesomespeed, a regular at Hippodrome 3R, has won 18 times and brought in $70,341 over 47 starts for owner/breeder Michel Allard, who trains the five-year-old stallion.

Gendron’s two victories were also the first drives of the year for the reinsman with more than 23,000 starts and 4,235 wins. His mounts will go head-to-head in the second Bay Derby elimination at Nouvelle on Jul. 27.

St. Joseph de Lepage will be in action again on Saturday, Aug. 6.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink