Trois-Rivieres, QC – The curtain closed on the 2019 harness racing season at the Hippodrome 3R Sunday.
The leading driver of the meet was Stephane Gendron, who led from early on in the season and was never really challenged. Gendron scored one win Sunday to end the season with 63 wins and a batting average, UDR of .355.
"I am very proud of being the leading driver," Gendron said. "It's always an honor to win this title, and I work very hard for that."
Will Gendron be driving anywhere this winter?
"No," Gendron said. "I will not drive anywhere this winter. I'm taking time for myself, and will be coming back next year for the H3R race meet."
Second to Stephane Gendron in the driver standings was Pascal Berube with 54 wins.
The leading trainer, for the third straight season, is none other than Francis Richard. He held a strong lead halfway through the race season and ended the race meet with 32 wins. His closest competition was trainers Yves Tessier with 24 and Maxime Velaye with 23 wins.
After the sixth race trot there was a very moving ceremony for the 14-year-old Chinnys Wings as this was his last pari-mutuel race. All Standardbred racehorses must retire from racing when they turn age 15 on January 1.
Although Chinnys Wings finished 8th in his last race, he was brought to the winner's circle where the race bike and harness were removed and a beautiful winter monogramed blanket was placed on the son of Armbro Ricochet.
For the record, Chinnys Wings started 235 times with 45 wins and earnings of $382,333. His record was 1:56.2. He was trained and driven by Jean Lord and owned by his wife, Nancy, of Trois-Rivieres. The Lord's have said that Chinnys Wings will have a good home and maybe even race in the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit next year.
In the third race Preferred Trot, Preciecuse CC, one of only two mares in the field, took full advantage of starting from the trail for trainer/driver Claude Beausoleil and wired the field.
Despite a first-over effort by Seeyou Men (Francis Picard), Preciecuse CC was not to be caught, winning by one length in 2:00.3 over Seeyou Men with the other mare in the field, Missionoftheheart (Jocelyn Gendron) third.
It was the second straight win and eighth victory of the season for Preciecuse CC, a four-year-old mare by Angus Hall, owned by Marie Andree Courney of Chicoutimi. She paid $10.10 to win.
The fastest mile on closing day was in the ninth race Preferred Pace where Maracasso and trainer/driver Carol Voyer would not let anyone pass them by. They wired the field in 1:56, barely holding off a late charging Appleby Hanover (Jocelyn Gendron) to win by a diminishing neck. Hooter Shooter (Pascal Berube) was third.
It was the eleventh win on the year for Maracasso. The seven-year-old gelded son of Lis Mara is owned by The Alpha Stable of Metobetchouan and paid just $3.10 to win.
The biggest highlight of the 2019 season was in the $200,000 Prix d'Ete Pace when driver Daniel Dube led from start to finish with This Is The Plan, who stopped the teletimer in 1:49.1.
The mile was the fastest ever in Canada on a half mile track and shattered the prior track record of 1:50.3. This Is The Plan is trained and co-owned by Ron Burke and it was Burke's third triumph in the Prix d'Ete.
Track Notes: Pierre Luc Roy scored a driving triple on closing day. The Hippodrome 3R and its Off-Track-Betting sites throughout Quebec, will be open seven days a week all winter long for simulcasting. The 2020 live harness racing season at H3R will begin next April. For more information, past race results, news stories and more, visit www.quebecjockeyclub.com.
From the Quebec Jockey Club