Top four-year-olds nominated to $200,000 Prix d’Ete

After the March 15^th deadline (plus a week for the mail), a total of 21 four-year-old harness racing pacers have been nominated to compete in the $200,000 Prix d’Ete Grand Circuit event at the Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada.

Featured among the 21 nominees include many of the top horses from last year’s stakes season including Little Brown Jug, North America Cup and $1 million winner, It’s My Show (Sweet Lou), Ontario Sire Stakes champion Stockade Seelster (State Treasurer), New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Voukefalas (Lazarus N), Bluegrass Stakes winner Command (Captaintreacherous), Breeders Crown elimination winner El Rey (Captaintreacherous), and local favorite Light The Torch (Always B Miki).

The Prix d’Ete will be held at H3R on Sunday, August 18 and will feature the eight highest money earners in 2024. The Prix d’Ete is the richest horse race of the year in Quebec. There are still two more nominating payments due (April 15 and May 15) to remain eligible for the final.

“It is with great pleasure that Hippodrome Trois -Rivières is bringing back the Prix d’Eté after a four years absence,” said Sophie Mongeon, Chairwoman of the Quebec Jockey Club. “The number of nominees is satisfying, and we are hoping to bring it back as a regular yearly event to showcase our racetrack internationally.”

Once the premier race in all of Canada, the Prix d’Ete (Summer Prize) was originally for three-year-old pacers and would feature the best colts in North America year after year. Previous winners included Bret Hanover, Albatross, Niatross, Hot Hitter, Cam Fella, On The Road Again, Ralph Hanover, Matt’s Scooter and a host of other top pacers have won the Prix D’Ete.

The Prix d’Ete was last held at the Hippodrome 3R in 2019 when This Is The Plan and driver Daniel Dube set the all-time track record and Canadian record (half mile track) of 1:49.1.

The 21 horses nominated to the Prix d’Ete are:

ACT FAST (Downbytheseaside)

ALL BETS ON TEX (All Bets Off)

ALL CLASS H (Heston Blue Chip)

AMMO (Sweet Lou)

COMMAND (Captaintreacherous)

EL REY (Captaintreacherous)

ERVIN HANOVER (Captaintreacherous)

FULTON (Heston Blue Chip)

HUNTINTHELASTDOLAR (Huntsville)

IM HUNGRY (Stay Hungry)

IT’S MY SHOW (Sweet Lou)

LIGHT THE TORCH (Always B Miki)

LITENINGONTHEBEACH (Downbytheseaside)

MOMENT IS HERE (All Bets Off)

NO CONTROL (Control The Moment)

REDWOOD HANOVER (Stay Hungry)

SOUNDS GOOD (Bettor’s Delight)

STOCKADE SEELSTER (State Treasure)

TIP TOP CAT (Always B Miki)

VOUKEFALAS (Lazarus N)

WINMEBAK (Shadow Play)

The Hippodrome 3R will have the first qualifying races of the year starting Saturday, April 13. The start of the live race meet was scheduled for Sunday, April 28 and has been moved to Sunday, May 5.

For more information about Prix d’Ete and the upcoming race meet at the Hippodrome 3R, visit here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club