from the Quebec Jockey Club

Trois-Rivieres, PQ — Harness racing trainer Isabelle Darveau is looking forward to having a big Sunday of racing at the Hippodrome 3R as her two young trotters are the favorites in their respective finals in the C$500,000 Quebec-Bred Series.

Darveau, who is a third generation horsewoman from Quebec, has Seeyou Men and Wildwild Men in the finals and both are in peak form as the morning line favorites.

Norm Files photo

Isabelle Darveau, who is a third generation horsewoman from Quebec, has Seeyou Men and Wildwild Men in the finals on Sunday.

“Both my horses are in very good shape,” Darveau said. “But there are others in the race that are good too. Maybe with a little racing luck we could have a big day and they both can win.”

Harness racing has been in Darveau’s blood since birth. Her father, Maurice, and grandfather, Francois, both trained race horses so she grew up in the business and loves it.

“I currently have nine horses in my stable,” Darveau said. “And by this winter I will have 14 horses. I just love working with them and racing them. It has always been my passion.”

Seeyou Men and Wildwild Men are full brothers from the sire Muscle Mass and the dam Seeyouinthecircle. They were both bred by Chantal Gravel and are co-owned with Catheline Pelletier.

“My owners are great,” Darveau said. “Catheline used to train horses at 3R when I was young and met her then. They know how it works with horses and it makes my job much better having owners who know from hands-on experience.”

Darveau said that her best season was in 2011, but if both her colts can win Sunday, then 2015 could be the best.

Unraced at age two due to growth and injury, Seeyou Men did not race. He is the older of the two brothers, but is making up for lost racing this season. He has won three of his seven starts with two second place finishes.

Seeyou Men starts from post five in the first race Sunday for a purse of C$65,000. His name came about because Pelletier’s boyfriend, Patrick, would bring his father to see the horses train and then when his father became ill, Patrick would always tell him, “See you men” when he left him. When Patrick’s father passed away, the following month the foal was born and Pelletier named the foal after Patrick’s statement in memory of his father.

Last week Seeyou Men raced against older trotters at 3R and soundly defeated them in 2:00.3. Earlier in July he set the track record at 3R for 3-year-old geldings with a lifetime mark of 1:59.3.

“Even though they are full brothers,” Darveau said, “they are completely different horses. Seeyou Men is an angel in the barn, quiet and gentle to work. He is a little bigger than Wildwild Men, but he is also a year older. When he is on the racetrack he can be a little stupid and can be a problem but once the race starts he is all business.”

Wildwild Men is having a super first season of racing. He has won four of his seven starts with one second place finish and has already earned $23,719 this season. In his last start at 3R he tied his lifetime record with a 2:00.3 victory in the series, winning by 6-1/2 lengths, which set the track record for 2-year-old geldings.

Wildwild Men starts from post two in the fourth race on Sunday for a purse of C$55,000.

“This colt is named because he was so crazy as a baby,” Darveau said. “Since he was little he was always hard to work with and always very wild. We could not catch him in the field. He still bites, strikes and kicks and won’t stand still to work on. He is always trouble. They had him gelded two months before I got him to start training. That’s how bad he was.

“But when he gets on the racetrack,” Darveau was quick to add, “he is very good. The two brothers could not be more different.”

All of Darveau’s horses are driven by Robert Shepard, who is having a great season of racing at the Hippodrome 3R in 2015.

“Robert is my boyfriend,” Darveau laughed as she explained. “But he is also a super driver and does very well with my horses.”

In preparing for Sunday’s finals, Darveau kept both horses in Quebec the past ten days. Her stable is in Toronto, Ontario, but Darveau did not want the colts to have to travel nine to ten hours the day before they race.

“Both horses are feeling pretty good,” Darveau said. “They are in the paddock this morning (Saturday) and I will jog them today. They will be ready to go tomorrow (Sunday). You never know how these babies will race but I am excited that they both will do well.”