Last prelims ahead for Breeders Trophy Series

Trois-Rivieres, QC – The third and final preliminary round of the Breeders Trophy Series takes place Friday afternoon (Aug. 18) at the Hippodrome 3R for three-year-old harness racing trotting fillies and colts.

After the preliminary rounds are completed, the top eight point earners who have competed in at least two of the three legs, will be eligible for the $65,000 finals at H3R on Sunday, September 11.

The trotting fillies are showcased in the $10,000 6th race which will be a preview of the final as the top contenders, Stella Alpha (Royalty For Life), HP Felicity (Muscle Mass) and Kikiwaka (Archangel) all face each other again.

Stella Alpha (post 3) is the winningest horse at H3R this season with seven wins, six at her home track. She has been off her game as of late, making a rare break and finishing last in an overnite race last week. She is handled by the leading driver at H3R, Pascal Berube, and leading trainer at H3R, Sylvain Tremblay.

HP Felicity (post 4) is the only horse in the field to have beaten Stella Alpha in the series. She has prepared for this race with a strong second place finish for driver Robert Shepherd last week in 1:59.4. HP Felicity is trained by Isabelle Darveau for owner-breeders Claude Hamel and Michel Damphousse.

Kikiwaka (post 6) earlier this season took her lifetime mark at Mohawk Park with a 1:55.2 triumph. Since then, it has been a major effort to keep her on-stride. Trainer-driver David Pilon may have found the key to success with Kikiwaka coming into the race off a very impressive 2:00.1 qualifying win.

With only four colts entering the final leg, the race will be held as a non-wagering event between the 1st and 2nd races on Friday.

Cleveland Massino (Muscle Mass) has won three of his last four starts for trainer and co-owner Jean-Francois Maguire. Last week he posted a lifetime best 1:59.3 triumph and starts from post two for driver Robert Shepherd.

Royalty Beer (Royalty For Life) was last year’s Quebec Champion Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt. He goes from post four for driver Kevin Maguire and in his last start he was second in the Preferred-Handicap Trot and prior won the second leg of the series in 2:00.4 for the Maguire Stable.

This is the second to last Friday afternoon race card at H3R. Post time Friday is 4:00 pm. For a free race program, click here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club