from the Quebec Jockey Club

Trois-Rivieres, PQ — Competing on a sloppy, rain-soaked track did not hamper the efforts of harness racing driver Stephane Gendron, as the Quebec City resident posted his first driving quadruple of the season on Sunday (Oct. 29) at the Hippodrome 3R.

Gendron did not get into gear until the fourth race pace, winning with D G’s Machbeach ($16.70) in 2:01.3. He then won the fifth race pace with Hard Rock ($9.70) in 1:59.3, the seventh race with Ufdragons Rocket ($3.40) in 1:59.2 and then capped the afternoon, capturing the eighth race Invitational Trot with Caroluzzo.

And that last race took a photo finish to declare the winner.

Thephotodesk.ca photo

Caroluzzo held game to the wire, winning over Jamigo by a long nose in 2:01.3.

It was R Rkadabra and driver Pierre Luc Roy getting to the front early from post one as Gendron left with the race favorite Caroluzzo and settled right into second place to the opening quarter in a speedy :28.4.

Content to sit the pocket trip through the half-mile marker in :59.2, Gendron waited until the backstretch to come out and go after R Rkadabra, who was not giving up his lead without a battle to the three-quarters in 1:30.1 and all the while, Jamigo and driver Daniel Laflamme were stalking the duo in third place.

Around the final turn, Caroluzzo had the lead but Jamigo was edging closer as they started down the stretch. With every stride to the wire, Jamigo kept closing in on Caroluzzo, but Caroluzzo held game to the wire, winning over Jamigo by a long nose in 2:01.3. Ice D Late (Sylvain Lacaille) was third.

It was the sixth win this year for Caroluzzo. The 8-year-old stallion by Musclesextrodinair is trained by Daniel Martin and is owned by Michael Cote Gagnon, paying $4.90 to win. The victory was the second of the day for trainer Daniel Martin.

Lucky Promesses extended her lead as the winningest horse at H3R this season, winning the sixth race trot in 2:04.3. Bred, owned and driven to victory by Jerome Lombart, Lucky Promesses posted her tenth win of the year and her eighth at H3R. The 4-year-old mare by Lucky Fool is trained by Andreane Lapierre and paid $7.30 to win. She won in a romp by 8-3/4 lengths.

With just two race programs left for the 2017 race season, Stephane Brosseau holds a diminishing lead over the red hot Stephane Gendron, 51-44, for the top driver honors while Francis Richard’s 24 wins from his stable puts him in strong contention to capture the training title with Yves Tessier at 18, Jean Tourney at 16, and both Michel Allard and Maxime Velaye at 15 each.

Live racing resumes at H3R next Sunday, first race post time at 12:30 pm. For more information, visit www.quebecjockeyclub.com.