On Max Bradette’s track…

Since when are you interested in horse racing ?

I was five or six years old in the late ’60s when I accompanied my father for whom horse racing was a hobby. I obviously did not have the right to get in the track but I was sliping myself under the fence or elsewhere and I was run after. If they was blocking an entry, I was finding another one. I was finding a partner, I was betting a dollar and often, because of my age, my partner was lefting me all the winnings. I remember my father was parking in front of the store to buy the program. As he must left home to work, I was bringing it into class and It was regularly confiscated.

What led you to develop such a passion ?

My first stars were drivers and horses not hockey players. At 15 years old, I bought my first horse with $ 400 that I had won by refereeing hockey. I had extraordinary parents and my father always encouraged me. I nurtured my passion and worked from horse stables to stables in different cities. I bought horses, coached them and got my driver’s license when I was 17 years old. Several people in my entourage in Saguenay encouraged me and I also counted on the support of Gilles Caouette of Sudbury, Serge Turbide and Alain Durivage. All facets of the industry interested me. It’s a beautiful sport with real athletes. The training and the management of the horses are not accessible to all. The horse is an endearing animal that people love to love. We must not exhaust them, we must treat them well and respect the investment. It is also an extreme sport to drive horses.

What does mutual betting bring you ?

I am fascinated by betting and horse racing is the discipline where there is the most chance of winning. There is data, a lot of data available. The race provides a thrill of two minutes and a great suspense. It’s the most exciting thing. Every day, you have to earn your pay. You have to be methodical, disciplined and strategic.

How often do you bet ?

A full day, six times a week, sometimes two: it varies a lot. I follow the horses. At Hippodrome 3R, the returns are the most interesting so I take advantage of it.

What are the main things you consider in order to bet ?

I follow the horses, I take notes: drop of class, change of coach, the track, the distance, I analyze the programs. Is it serious training, a serious driver ? What is the behavior of the coach or the horse before and during the race ? Sometimes just because the horse is beautiful !

The more difficult a race is to “handicap”, the more it pays and the more the “handicappers” break their heads. Galloping is even more difficult.

Your biggest gain in career ?

In Toronto, I bet $ 200 on a “pick 4” (predetermined winners in four consecutive races) and I won $ 40,000 (I was the only ticket holder)

Paris’ questions ?

Win Placed Classed:

The three horses that impressed you the most ?

1- Aleesong: I had paid $ 175 for him and I learned everything with him without having won

2- Cam Fella: his desire to win, his presence

3- Montreal Mystic: It allowed me to start everything and leave the anonymity

Exacta:

The two dominant horses to watch ?

1- Hurricane Beach also eligible in my opinion for the Prix d’Été

2- Dream Nation, a two-years-old trotter owned by Claude Lévesque

Trifecta:

Your three best drivers of all time ?

1- Hervé Filion, “the man with golden hands”, who paved the way for Quebec drivers

2- Gaétan Lamy: our Maurice Richard of the races, the best to bring out the maximum of a horse

3- Yvon Bélanger who would have had a great career if he had chosen to leave the Saguenay region

Double Bet:

Two Predictions for 2019

1- The vertiginous rise of the Ben-Hur Cup, which will become a major attraction

2- A significant change that will mark the bet at Hippodrome 3R