Special Saturday card for Quebec Fair Finals

This Saturday, Oct. 3, the Hippodrome 3R (H3R) will host a special Saturday afternoon harness racing card featuring the 2024 Quebec Regional Fair Finals. There are 11-races on the program that gets underway at 1:00 pm.

All eyes will be on the 6^th race Open Handicap Pace Final where three return winners headline the field.

Frozen Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere) is the morning line favorite from post seven. The five-year-old stallion is trained by Maxime Velaye for owner Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, Que. and will be driven by Marie-Solel Dubois.

In his last start at Rideau Carleton Raceway, Frozen Hanover got a perfect second-over trip and turned it into a 1:54 triumph, his third win this season. Earlier on the year he won at H3R in 1:56.

PLD Needy (Warrawee Needy) also posted his third win of the season last week at H3R, getting a perfect two-hole trip for owner, trainer and driver Per Luc Lamy and winning in 1:57. He will start from post six.

The third return winner in the field is N C Rockabye (Two Guys) with driver Marc Lemay, who comes off a 2:00 win at H3R.

Two of the highlighted finals take place in races 10 and 11 with the finals of the amateur series for men and women.

The ladies are first up in the 10^th race pace where driver, trainer and co-owner Sophie Messer’s Indigo Seelster (Camluck) is the lone return winner in the field. The nine-year-old gelding was at his best last week at H3R, taking a lifetime mark of 1:58.2.

They take on contender Delco Dynamo (post 1) with driver Roxanne Viau, CL Big Beach (post 4) for driver Nancy Auger and Old Buck (post 5) for driver Andree Pelletier.

The men battle it out in the 11^th race amateur driver final where Ninoscredit (Up The Credit) and driver Nicolas Dechamplain, a 1:57 winner at H3R, goes from post four and takes on return winners Flashjack Soleil (post 5) with driver-trainer Eric Milot and Manhattan Joe (post 6) for driver Mathys Lapointe, who posted four wins on the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit.

Coming up on Sunday (Oct. 6) at H3R is the second annual Brian Paquet Memorial Invitational Pace for older horses and mares. There are two divisions, each for a purse of $51,000.

The horse division is a very well-matched field with two prior Quebec-bred champions, Cadillac Bayama and The Light Speed, returning and taking on top pacers Jack Panic, Fortify, Light The Torch and Uncontrollable.

The mare’s division is headlined by former Quebec champion Kiss Me Bad taking on YS Sensationalcity, Annas Wish and Jimbelina.

Also, on Sunday’s card is the Lucien Bombardier Memorial Pace for two-year-old fillies and will feature two $15,100 divisions. Top fillies entered include the red-hot Simply The Best, Quebec Champion Mirabel Enfete, Mystic Moment and Silver Majesty.

Three-time O’Brien Award winning driver, Louis-Philippe Roy will be at H3R Sunday, and he has drives in 10 of the 12 races. Post time Sunday is 12:00 noon.

For more information and free race programs, visit here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club