Stakes season gets underway in Quebec

Trois-Rivieres, QC – The 2022 stakes season gets underway at the Hippodrome 3R Friday (Jul. 15) with the start of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old harness racing trotters.

Featured will be two $10,000 opening round legs. There are a total of three preliminary rounds with the top eight point earners returning to H3R on Sunday, September 11 for their respective $60,000 finals.

The first division for three-year-old trotting colts is the 3^rd race that features last year’s Quebec two-year-old champion Royalty Beer (Royalty For Life) in post seven for driver Kevin Maquire and the Maguire Stable of Sainte-Marie. He is co-owned and trained by cousin Jean-Francois Maquire.

Last year Royalty Beer won four of his five starts including the $50,000 Quebec-Bred Championship final, but 2022 has seen him win just once in six starts. That victory was three starts back with a lifetime mark of 1:59.2 at Grand River Raceway in a $22,200 division of the Ontario Sire Stakes Grassroots.

Royalty Beer races as an entry with stablemate Cleveland Massimo and starts from post two for driver Robert Shepherd. He also has six starts this year and but one win, a 2:01 lifetime mark at H3R.

Kenogami Rebel (Archangel, post 5) is the lone return winner in the field for trainer Daniel Martin, who co-owns the gelding with Dominique Michel and Marie-Claude Reid.

While winless at age 2, Kenogami Rebel sports two triumphs so far in 2022, the fastest a 1:57.1 mark taken at Rideau Carleton where he ships to H3R from. In his last start he was parked out first-over and still was able to come on to win by a nose in 1:58 and will again be driven by Stephane Brosseau.

Other contenders in the field in Sammy Justice (post 1), who has three wins this season, two in his last three starts for driver Pascal Berube, an entry of Orlys Shadow (post 4) and Orlys Flight (post 6) for trainer Normand Beaudoin and Pier Ho Crazy JP (post 3).

The fillies do battle in their $10,000 first leg in the 6^th race where a classic match-up where Stella Alpha (Royalty For Life, post 1), the Princess of Trot at H3R, looks to defend her title from last season.

The filly was the Quebec Champion last year and this season sports six wins already for the Alpha Stable and owner-breeder-trainer Sylvain Tremblay.

In her last start Stella Alpha set the track record at H3R with a 1:58 triumph and has won three of her last four starts at H3R for driver Pascal Berube.

But it will not be a walk in the park for Stella Alpha as she faces some stiff competition from HP Felicity (Muscle Mass, post 2) and La Bromontoise (Angus Hall, post 4).

HP Felicity gave notice last week at H3R that she is ready for action for trainer Isabelle Darveau and husband/driver Robert Shepherd. They shipped to H3R and wired the field in a lifetime best mile of 1:59 for her first win in just two starts this year for owner-breeders Claude Hamel and Michel Damphousse.

Another consistent performer is La Bromontoise for breeder-owner and driver Jerome Lombart. She is a half sister to Quebec greats Lucky Promesses and a full sister to X O X O.

La Bromontoise has been racing at Grand River Raceway where she was second by a head last start in 2:01.1 and the prior start a winner in 2:02.3. Completing the field are El Gio (post 3) and Crazy Lilly (post 5).

There are two $6,000 Preferred-Handicap co-features on the Friday race card.

The pacing mares battle in the fourth race headlined by Sophies Cam (post 7), Outrageous Song (post 8) and Platine Alpha (post 1).

The trotters will fight it out in the fifth race where Bonfire Bash (post 1) goes for his third straight win for driver Francis Picard against newcomer Texaco Man (post 8), who was second by a neck last start at Grand River in 1:55.3.

The three-year-old pacers compete in the opening round of the Breeders Trophy Series on Sunday at H3R with three divisions.

First race post time on Friday is at 4:00 pm. For a free race program for both Friday and Sunday, click here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club