Light The Torch defeated at H3R over sloppy track

The overwhelming 1/9 race favorite, Light The Torch, tasted defeat on Sunday (June 23) afternoon at the Hippodrome 3R (H3R) in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, finishing third in the $6,500 Preferred-Handicap Pace co-feature.

Constant heavy rains made the track sloppy with a three second allowance from the Judges.

The 6th race got underway with Flash Cube (Jocelyn Gendron) working his way to the lead over Bettor Half (Denis St Pierre) by the opening quarter mile in :29.

Then before the half mile in 1:00.3, Frozen Hanover (Somebeachsomewhere) and driver Stephane Brosseau moved first-over and gave race favorite Light The Torch (Pascal Berube) live second-over cover through the three-quarters in 1:31.1.

The battle continued with Flash Cube holding off Frozen Hanover around the final turn as Berube tipped Light The Torch three-wide to mount a challenge.

The three horses nearly raced as a team down the stretch, despite the heavy rains, with the photo finish camera needed to declare Frozen Hanover the winner by a nose in 2:01.2 over Flash Cube with Light The Torch third by a head.

It was the first win in two starts for Frozen Hanover. The five-year-old stallion is trained by Maxime Velaye for owner Guy Corbeil of Mirabel, Que. and paid $12.00 to win.

After a half hour delay to work on the racetrack, the 8th race $8,500 co-feature for Quebec-Bred older pacer saw the race favorite, The Light Speed (Moon Beam) avenge his loss from his last start again rival Aladdin.

The Light Speed left for driver Jocelyn Gendron from post six and raced against early pacesetter Cyclone Joe (Sylvain Gagnon) before clearing to the lead after the opening quarter mile in :28.

Going to the half mile in :58, The Light Speed was in control of  the pace but now saw rival Aladdin (Stephane Brosseau), who had come out first-over to challenge.

Those two raced down the backstretch with The Light Speed having a half a length advantage to the three-quarters in 1:28.4. The duo raced neck and neck around the final turn, but not once did The Light Speed allow Aladdin the lead and, in the stretch, went on to win by one and three-quarter lengths in 1:59. Aladdin held for second with YS Sensationalcity (Robert Shepherd) third.

It was the eighth win on the season for The Light Speed, who has now won six of his last eight starts for trainer Guy Gagnon. The six-year-old gelding was bred and is owned by Michel Nolette of Princeville, Que. and paid $3.60 to win.

On Saturday was the start of the Quebec Regional Fair Circuit that took place at St-Joseph-de-Lepage (SJDL). Pocono Downs shipper X O X O, longtime top Quebec trotter, won a mixed-gait race in 1:59.3. The previous SJDL trot mark, set in 2021, was 2:00.1 by Mr Logan Mirox.

This time also beat the 1:59.4 mile in 2019 trotted at Saint-Aimé-des-Lacs by Missionoftheheart, driven by Kiwon Waldron, as the fastest trotting mile ever at all of the Quebec fair circuit tracks slated for action in 2024.

X O X O’s trainer Michel Allard was the big winner of the day with three successes; her driver, Roger Guilbeault, has driven in five races since 2016 and won all five.

The fastest pacing mile of the day was in an amateur male driver’s event in 1:57.4 turned in by Mickeymaksomespeed, who holds the all-time speed record at SJDL with two 1:55.2 miles recorded in 2022, and whose 2YO full sister Mikamaksomespeed won earlier in the card in 2:11.3.

The driver of Mickeymaksomespeed in today’s 1:57.4 mile was Jonathan Gagnon-Lachance, who had never driven in a race before.

Track Notes: Robert Shepherd had a driving double and Denis Langlois a training double Sunday. Live harness racing returns to H3R next Friday, June 28 with first post time at 4:00 pm. Featured will be the opening round of the Breeders Trophy Series for three-year-old trotting colts and fillies.