Six-horse photo finish at Hippodrome 3R
At 0h32, on May 8, 2023 • By STEVEN WOLF
One of the closest finishes in the harness racing history of the Hippodrome 3R in Quebec took place Sunday (May 7) in the 7th race pace as six horses crossed the finish wire at the same time.
Mach Play (Shadow Play) emerged a nose winner for owner and driver Joel Gagnon in 2:01 at odds of 11-1 and paid $24.90 to win. It was the seven-year-old gelding’s first start of the 2023 season for trainer Nancy Auger.
The photo finish camera was put to work for the race as sixth place finisher, Southwind Leo (Mario Lachance) was only a quarter of a length off of the winner.
The fastest mile on the afternoon card came in the 9th race Preferred Pace as Ontario invader, Little Manny (Articulator) and driver Pascal Berube were able to wire the field in 1:55.3.
Starting from post three, Little Manny took the early lead away from Old Buck (Francis Picard) by the opening quarter mile in :28.
From that point, Little Manny held the field at bay, leading to the half in :57.2 and the three-quarters in 1:26.2 as 18-1 Platine Alpha (Jimmy Gagnon) came first-over in vain.
By the top of the stretch, Little Manny opened up on the field, coasting to the wire a four and one-half length winner. Platine Alpha held for second with Mickeymaksomespeed (Jocelyn Gendron) third.
It was the second straight win and fifth victory of the season for Little Manny. He is trained by Yves Tessier for owners Michel Letarte and Jean Allaire. He paid just $2.50 to win.
Track Notes: The track record for handle on a ten-race program was set with $257,932 wagered on the afternoon. The record is $267,818 set in 2022 but that was for a 12-race card. Pascal Berube led all drivers with a double as did trainer Yves Tessier. Live racing resumes at H3R next Sunday, May 14, first race post time at 12:00 noon.
