Pascal Berube eyeing another driving title

The harness racing driving colony at the Hippodrome 3R continues to be a competitive group with top drivers who also ply their trade at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

And leading the way the last two seasons have been none other than Pascal Berube.

The Portneuf, Quebec resident won the H3R driving title with 63 wins over rival Stephane Brosseau’s 55 wins. In 2020, Berube held a five-win lead over Brosseau going into the last day of racing at H3R.

Berube elected to drive that day at Rideau and gave Brosseau the opportunity to catch him. Brosseau nearly did with four winners that day, one shy of tying Berube.

Even back in 2019, Berube was second best to Stephane Gendron.

“I am always excited for the arrival of a new season,” Berube explained. “I really like the Trois Rivières track, and I am proud to be able to represent it. If I have the chance to be the best again, I will be very proud of it.

“I am lucky enough to be able to drive at two racetracks,” Berube added. They are still 3 hours away, but I feel privileged to be able to do it. Especially when things are going well on the track. There is nothing more fun than winning races in the afternoon at H3R and being able to win more in the evening in Ottawa.”

And how is Pascal doing at Rideau Carleton? So far, he is in second place in the driver standings there. Guy Gagnon leads the way with 39 wins since January 1 and a quite impressive UDRS (batting average) of .529 while Berube has 19 wins and UDRS of .320.

Pascal Berube and his wife, Isabelle, made a major decision this past year and the Berube Stable is no longer training horses, just driving them.

“As far as horse training is concerned,” Berube explained. “We have put an end to this vocation. It’s a lot of work, energy and me and my wife Isabelle now prefer to take time for ourselves rather than spending it in the stable.

“For 30 years now, we have been training horses,” Berube said. “For the years to come, driving them satisfies me and it is for this reason that we have put an end to the practice of training. We loved it but now we turn the page, and we take care of ourselves.”

As a catch-driver, Pascal Berube feels he will be fine getting good drives at the Hippodrome 3R. Especially for the stakes races for two and three-year-olds.

“For most of my driving I am lucky to have a trainer who has a good stable of young horses. Alpha stables and Sylvain Tremblay. I am proud to drive for him and he showed last year how good his horses are. I got a lot of wins with them.

“As for older horses,” Berube explained. “I drive for different people. It’s a part of my job as a driver that I like too. Every trainer is different and having the trust of several people makes me very happy. When you can mix the two recipes together it makes for a nice mix of success.”

What does Berube like best about racing at H3R?

“I really like the Trois Rivières half-mile track,” Berube said. “I find that most horses are fine too. The setup is excellent, and the trackmen keep the racing surface in excellent condition.

“The proof is we had miles in 1:49 and in 1:50 a few years ago,” Berube recalled. “I even won in 1:52 with a 3-year-old. Never in the past would I have thought this possible.

“I hope to have good results again this year,” Berube said. “Last year I managed to win a cup. We don’t force anything every year, but we always hope to have luck on our side.”

Talent and luck have been on Berube’s side the past few years and the outlook for his continued success is very bright.

There is always good competition at H3R. In addition to Stephane Brosseau, also coming back this season at H3R will be Samuel Fillion, Steeve Genois, Jonathan Lachance, Francis Picard and some new faces in the driver colony.

So, being able to win a third straight driving title at H3R is most certainly within Pascal Berube’s grasp. We shall see if he can win it again in 2022 starting this Sunday, May 1.

Berube is off to a good start for opening day at H3R. He has a drive in all eight races on the program. First post is 12:00 noon on Sunday.