from Quebec Jockey Club

Trois-Rivieres, QC — The Ron Burke Stable had a sensational Sunday in Canada as their horses not only finished one-two in the $200,000 Prix D’Ete at the Hippodrome 3R, but earlier on the afternoon the Burke Stable also finished one-two in the rain-delayed Gold Cup & Saucer Final at Charlottetown Driving Park on PEI.

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Driver Matt Kakaley and assistant trainer Mickey Burke Jr. give a thumbs up following All Bets Off‘s victory in the Prix D’Ete Sunday.

In the Prix D’Ete Grand Circuit race for 4-year-old pacers, it was action-packed right out of the starting gate as Limelight Beach (Mark MacDonald) shot like a rocket to the early lead from post six with Somewhere In L A (Daniel Dube) leaving and grabbing the two-hole spot with All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley) also on the move on the outside.

They flew to the opening quarter mile in :26.2 and Kakaley kept All Bets Off in gear until they finally cleared to the lead. After a short breather going to the half-mile marker in :55.2, it was Somewhere In L A and Dube taking up the chase first-over with Winds Of Change (Dustin Jones) grabbing the second-over trip down the backstretch and to the three-quarters in 1:23.

Then as they came around the final turn, All Bets Off was still the strong horse, turning back Somewhere In L A and with Kakaley raising his whip in the air and just lifting the line, All Bets Off scooted home an easy winner by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:50.3. Limelight Beach was second with Somewhere In L A third.

“Once I cleared to the lead,” Kakaley said. “I was able to back it down a little. Then when Somewhere In L A came first-over I just pulled the plugs and my horse got stronger. I knew at the start I wanted to get to the front and control the pace and everything worked out perfectly.”

The time of the race tied the all-age track record at the Hippodrome 3R at 1:50.3, set last year in the revival of the Prix D’Ete by Sunfire Blue Chip. It also tied both Sunfire Blue Chip and Crombie A as the fastest Canadian race by a 4-year-old on a half mile oval.

“What a great day this has been for the Burke Stable,” explained second trainer Mickey Burke. “We finish one-two in the Gold Cup & Saucer and then finish one-two in the Prix D’Ete. We have to come back and do this again next year for sure.”

A stallion by Bettor’s Delight, it was the third win this year for All Bets Off. He is owned by the Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver-Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino and the Panhelleni Stable. All Bets Off now sports career earnings of $1,505,481. Coupled with Limelight Beach in the wagering, they paid $3.80 to win.

The Prix D’Ete program also featured four divisions of second round of the $200,000 Quebec-Bred Series for 2-year-old pacers.

YS Artistic Fella made an impressive Quebec debut in the first division, working to the lead at the eighth and controlling the pace, then storming home in 28.3 to break his maiden in 1:59, a racing mark.

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All Bets Off set an all-age track record at the Hippodrome 3R Sunday of 1:50.3 in the Prix D’Ete.

First round prelim winner Sagawi had to settle for second today, 2-3/4 lengths back, after a pocket trip behind the son of Artistic Fella out of Bolero Tallia (the dam of the 4&5-year-old pacing mares “Q” Series champion My Tallia Ideal earlier this year). Simon Allard, a provincial native son returning for the day from his base at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania, guided YS Artistic Fella for trainer Richard Moreau and owner Yves Sarrazin.

Mr Mach Jimmy is now 2-for-2 in the Quebec prelims after making every pole a winning one with a 1:59.2 triumph, posting a new mark. However, success did not come easily to driver Pascal Berube and the altered son of Mach Three-Rosebud Stena, as Pudong Phil, in only his second lifetime start, picked a tuck from the outside post eight, then was first-over from the three-eighth and gave the leader all he could handle before “Jimmy” crossed the wire a length to the good for trainer Dany Fontaine and owner Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc.

HP Sissy and Miss Babe Delight were virtually inseparable the last quarter of the first filly prelim, with “Sissy” proving the more photogenic by a head in a lifetime mark of 1:57.3, just two-fifths of a second short of the divisional track record set by My Fleet Three last year. Miss Babe Delight, coming off a win in an Ontario stake, took advantage of drawing inside her main rival and forced HP Sissy, a daughter of Up The Credit-Monica Blue Chip and a first round winner in Quebec action last week, to sit the pocket through fast numbers for the babies of 28.1, 58.3, and 1:28.4.

Driver Guy Gagnon took the winner to the outside at the last-named point and was in a real donnybrook with the pacesetter the rest of the way, and she just got the better of her game rival for trainer Jean Tourigny and owners Claude Hamel and Michel Damphousse.

Skyfall Sena, a Goliath Bayama-Bye Bye Pippa N filly who was (a distant) second to HP Sissy in the first round, took advantage of that rival’s drawing in the other division by taking the second distaff section on the engine, lowering her mark 7-2/5 seconds to 2:00.3.

Skyfall Sena was sent right to the lead by driver Pascal Berube (a Quebec winner with both sexes), put favored Art De Gagnee in behind her, and then held off that rival in the stretch by three-quarters of a length (after finishing a half-length ahead of her behind HP Sissy last week) for trainer and owner Serge Nadeau.

Prix D’Ete Notes: There are two divisions of the third round of the Quebec-Bred Series for 2-year-old trotters at the Hippodrome 3R on Wednesday. Featured in the first division are three return winners in track record holder Wildwild Men taking on Panamas Boy and Sass. Post time is 7:00 p.m.