Trois-Rivieres, QC – The Quebec Jockey Club has announced that this year's Ben Hur Cup II driver challenge will be Ontario vs Quebec as harness racing driving stars Doug McNair takes on Louis Philippe Roy at the Hippodrome 3R on Sunday, June 23.
Last year, the inaugural Ben Hur Cup featured Sylvain Filion defeating Roy in the very last race of the competition. The tournament takes place in eight races and the drivers get to select which horse they drive in each of the races. They must also select horses by post position so that they have one drive from all eight posts.
It's a winner-take-all prize of $3,000C that goes to the champion of the Ben Hur Cup II.
Here is the Take of the Tape for the two drivers.
TALE OF THE TAPE (as of USTA stats from 6/12/19)
Doug McNair Louis Philippe Roy
Age 30 30
Weight 155 lbs 140 lbs
Years Driving 12 12
Lifetime Drives 18,605 6,377
Lifetime Wins 3,234 1,278
Lifetime $$ $46,391,486 $12,870,262
2019 Wins 59 127
2019 Money $803,016 $1,424,325
2019 UDRS .238 .284
"Since the competition is keeping the same process as last year," Louis Philippe Roy said. "It's hard to try to pick a competitive horse from every post position. That makes this great tournament so challenging!"
Roy was quick to fire off the first salvo to McNair.
"Dougie can be very sulky when I beat him on the golf course or on the racetrack," laughed Roy. "So, I'll try to keep him in the competition until the very last races. That way he'll be nice to be around for the early part of the race card!"
"The only time Louie beats me in golf," Doug McNair said. "Is when we play a foursome and his brings a partner that plays well."
Will being at Roy's home track for the Ben Hur Cup II be a big advantage for him over McNair?
"I think that if Doug stays focus," Roy said. "The fact that it's my home track won't make a big difference, but that's if and only if he stays focused."
"I don't mind coming for competitions like this," McNair added. "I know Louie will be the fan favorite, it's his hometown. But I can tell you that he will not have any of Richard Moreau horses to drive, so he cannot look for any help there.
"I know that last year, Sylvain Filion beat him pretty good," McNair said. "He made him look like a rookie at the end of the day."
Being back home in Quebec for the Ben Hur Cup II, Roy already has plans for celebrating.
"I plan to celebrate my win in the Ben Hur Cup by going to Quebec City over the night as it is Quebec National Day on Monday, June 24th," Roy explained. "And they will have concerts and other special events on Sunday night. I don't know how Doug is going to try to forget his loss."
The post position draw for the Sunday, June 23 Ben Hur Cup II races takes place on Wednesday, June 19. For more information, visit www.quebecjockeyclub.com.
From the Quebec Jockey Club