$500,000 Quebec Championships held at Hippodrome 3R

The day started out with the harness racing trainers needing to add mud fenders and the drivers rain gear, but despite racing over a good, rain-soaked track, the show continued at the Hippodrome 3R Sunday (Sept. 10) with the $500,000 Quebec-bred championship finals for two and three-year-old trotters and pacers.

There was a two second allowance by the judges. The track crew did an excellent job as the racing surface was in good shape with numerous horses taking lifetime marks. The rain ended before the fourth race went off and clear skies prevailed the rest of the afternoon before a huge crowd of racing fans.

Here is how each of the eight divisions fared on the 12-race afternoon card.

$65,000 Final Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies

Sant Ambroggio (Robert Shepherd) did all the work and race favorite Dont Treat Me Bad (Resolve) and driver Jocelyn Gendron got all the glory.

It was Sant Ambroggio who cut the entire mile with Dont Treat Me Bad sitting the two-hole trip through fractions of :28.4, :59.2 and 1:29.3 before Gendron moved Dont Treat Me Bad to the outside to challenge Sant Ambroggio down the stretch. The two battled to the wire with Dont Treat Me Bad getting up in the final strides to win by a head in 2:00. Kenogami Courage (Stephane Brosseau) was third.

It was a lifetime mark and the fourth win of the season. Dont Treat Me Bad paid $3.70 to win. She was bred and is owned and trained by Herve Kirouac of Sherbrooke.

DONT TREAT ME BAD REPLAY

$65,000 Final Three-Year-Old Pacing Fillies

Ladycorona (Bettors Delight) became the only horse to make a clean sweep of the series, winning all three legs and the final for driver Pascal Berube.

Leaving from post five, Berube sent the 1/5 favorite Ladycorona down the road from the start with Godiva Ice Cream (Guy Gagnon) sitting the pocket trip. Ladycorona cut fractions of :28 and :58.4 when last year’s champion filly, Pocahontas Du Lac (LPR) came first-over but was unable to gain on the race leader in the backstretch.

Ladycorona passed the three-quarters in 1:28.2 and then pulled away from the field to win with ease by three and one-quarter lengths in 1:57.4. Pocahontas Du Lac was second with Godiva Ice Cream third.

It was the eighth win of the season for Ladycorona who paid $2.50 to win. She was bred and is owned by Sotiros Anastasopoulos of Sainte-Therese.

LADYCORONA REPLAY

$65,000 Final Three-Year-Old Pacing Colts & Geldings

Louis-Philippe Roy said Friday that he hoped he would be able to touch the Championship trophy on Sunday and he finally was able to in the last stakes race of the afternoon.

The race favorite Attitude (Daniel Dube) was first on the lead with Maximus BG (Guy Gagnon) in the two-hole to the quarter in :27.2 and the half mile in :56.4. Then it was Bets Beach (Pascal Berube) coming first-over with Little Diamond (Jocelyn Gendron) second-over entering the backstretch.

Then three-wide came Kansas Panic (Robert Shepherd) at the three-quarters in 1:26.2 and they cleared to be first-over against Attitude on the final turn. But also sneaking up along the rail and then coming three-wide on the final turn was Kingston Panic (Sportswriter) and LPR.

They were able to collar Attitude and then hold off stablemate Kansas Panic to win by two lengths in 1:55.2. Attitude was third. It was an emotional victory as the owner and breeder of both Kingston Panic and Kansas Panic was Brian Paquet, who passed away just three weeks ago. Paquet was not only a prominent owner and breeder, but an industry leader in Quebec when it came to horse racing.

For Kingston Panic it was his second straight win and a lifetime mark. He is trained by David Pilon and paid $7.80 to win.

KINGSTON PANIC REPLAY

$65,000 Final Three-Year-Old Trotting Colts & Geldings

The biggest upset of the afternoon came in this final as 35-1 Free Wheels (Wheeling N Dealin) with driver Jocelyn Gendron cut the mile and would not let anyone pass them. They cut fractions of :29 and :59.4 before the race favorite Kinnder Motown (Robert Shepherd) came first-over to challenge after the half mile marker.

Those two would then battle head and head to the three-quarters in 1:29.1. They still went at it around the final turn and just as they straightened out for the stretch drive, Kinnder Motown broke stride and Free Wheels coasted to the wire to win by two and one-half lengths in 1:59.3. Timonier (Daniel Dube) was second with BBC Sportsboy (Marc Belanger) third.

It was a lifetime mark for Free Wheels and his third win this year. He is trained, owned and was bred by Herve Kirouac of Sherbrooke and paid $73.80 to win.

FREE WHEELS REPLAY

$55,000 Final Two-Year-Old Trotting Fillies

Kenogami Queen (Stephane Brosseau) was the overwhelming 1/5 favorite in the race but just as she was clearing to the lead at the first quarter, went off-stride and was out of the race.

That allowed JD Beauty (Robert Shepherd) to take back control of the lead going to the backstretch, but then she went off stride. That left 5-1 Sensi Amnesia (Muscle Mass) in the lead and she took off for trainer-driver Marie-Claude Auger, pulling away from the field to win in a romp by eight and one-quarter lengths in 2:05.3. MVPs Daughter (Jerome Lombart) was second with Cleveland U Bet (Louis-Philippe Roy) third.

It was the maiden victory for Sensi Amnesia in five lifetime starts. She is co-owned by Auger with Catheline Pelletier and was bred by Auger. She paid $12.10 to win.

SENSI AMNESIA REPLAY

$55,000 Final Two-Year-Old Trotting Colts & Geldings

Before the start of the race the 2/5 favorite, Wild Dream Men (Guy Gagnon) went off-stride creating a wide-open race from the start. Vol De Banque (Claude Beausoleil) was first on the lead then came M C Eddy (Lookslikeachpndale) and driver Pascal Berube to take control by the first quarter.

Then past the half mile marker, Gagnon got Wild Dream Men back into the race and they came first-over against M C Eddy. Those two would battle it out to the three-quarters and around the final turn. Then in a classic stretch drive, M C Eddy was able to hold off Wild Dream Men to win by a neck in 2:04.2. Drinklikehenry (William Roy) was third.

It was the second win in four lifetime starts for M C Eddy, who paid $8.90 to win. He is trained by Daniel Martin, who co-owns the gelding with Dominique Michel and Jean Carignan. He was bred by Jean Picard and Daniel Martin.

M C EDDY REPLAY

$55,000 Final Two-Year-Old Pacing Fillies

The race began with Breedingbankrupsy (Pascal Berube), The Heart Valley (Francis Picard) and D Gs Lorijeanne (Jonathan Lachance) all leaving for the lead and they were three-across at the first quarter in :28.3 before anyone would back off.

Breedingbankrupsy led the field with The Heart Valley in the pocket and D Gs Lorijeanne left hung out first-over. LPR would then come second over with the 1/5 race favorite Ronda Du Lac past the half mile in :59.1. In the backstretch LPR moved Ronda Du Lac three-wide and looped past Breedingbankrupsy, but at the same time The Heart Valley vacated the pocket trip and parked out Ronda Du Lac three-wide at the three-quarters in 1:31.1, with 14-1 Shes Rock (Hes Watching) with Robert Shepherd second over and in the hunt.

As they started down the stretch, The Heart Valley locked wheels with Ronda Du Lac, slowing them both down as Shes Rock sped by to win in 2:02.1 by two and one-half lengths. The Heart Valley was second but placed seventh for interference with Ronda Du Lac third placed second and Breedingbankrupsy fourth placed third.

It was the maiden victory in six starts for Shes Rock, who was unraced at age two. She paid $30.80 to win for trainer Isabelle Darveau and owner Bruce Tremblay of Shipsaw, Quebec. Shes Rock was bred by Lise Carbonneau.

SHES ROCK REPLAY

$55,000 Final Two-Year-Old Pacing Colts & Geldings

Race favorite Boomboom Tonight (Sportswriter) and driver Guy Gagnon were parked out to the opening quarter in :28.2 by Love That Miramont (Jean Bernard Renaud). Then LPR came first-over at the half in :59.1 with Olaf Du Lac but was unable to collar Boomboom Tonight at the three-quarters in 1:28.4.

Boomboom Tonight and Gagnon then pulled away from the field and went on to win with ease by three lengths in 1:58. Olaf Du Lac was second with Ambitious Mind (Francis Picard) third.

It was a lifetime mark for Boomboom Tonight, his third straight win and fourth victory in six lifetime starts for trainer Marc Belanger. He was bred and is owned by Elisabeth Pothier of St-Christophe-D’Arthabask, Quebec and paid $4.00 to win.

BOOMBOOM TONIGHT REPLAY

Track Notes: Seven of the 12 races saw lifetime marks recorded. The total handle of $323,445 is the highest in track history. Guy Gagnon led all drivers with a triple on the afternoon. Louis-Philippe Roy, Pascal Berube and Jocelyn Gendron all had driving doubles. Herve Kirouac had a training double. Live harness racing resumes next Friday, Sept. 15 at 4:00 pm. This will be the final Friday twilight card of the 2023 race season at H3R. For more information, visit here.

For complete race results, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for the Quebec Jockey Club