by the Quebec Jockey Club

Trois-Rivieres, PQ — The spotlight will be on two top pacers this Sunday (June 11) at the Hippodrome 3R as Half A Billion and HP Sissy are the respective favorites in their C$30,000 divisions of the Quebec-bred Series for 4-and 5-year-olds.

thephotodesk.ca photo

Francis Richard (left) and Louis-Philippe Roy are hoping Half A Billion collects his fourth consecutive win on Sunday at H3R.

Half A Billion heads the sixth race division for horses and goes for a clean sweep of the series, trying for this fourth straight win and sixth triumph of the year. The 5-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter sports the fastest mile by any horse so far at H3R this season. Two weeks ago, he won in a romp by 6-1/2 lengths in 1:53.1 for H3R’s leading driver, Louis-Philippe Roy, who is back in the sulky Sunday with Half A Billion from post five.

Trained by Francis Richard, Half A Billion is co-owned by Michael & Francois Letarte, Jean Allaire and Corey Giles.

“The horse is in a great shape,” said trainer Francis Richard, “And he seems to be even better when you spell him a week, like this year. A race is a race and he is facing some formidable opponents, but he has had the pressure to do well as the favorite before and I will do my best to get him ready on Sunday.”

In their last match-up, rival Sports Authority (Pierre-Luc Roy, older brother of Louis-Philippe), was second to Half A Billion, his best effort so far this year in four starts. He starts from post three.

The entry of full brothers Mr Match On Beach (post four) and Mach On The Beach (post six) loom tough competition as well as 13-time winner and series champion last year, HP Patriote (post two), for driver/trainer Gerard Demers.

Also, not to be ignored is Sugarsam (post one), who was the Quebec Series champion back in 2015.

The mares do battle in the ninth race where HP Sissy seeks to make it a clean sweep in her division. She starts from post four and will be driven again by Louis-Philippe Roy. Her last start two weeks ago was her best of the 2017 season, moving to the lead for Roy after the opening-quarter mile and then holding the field at bay, winning in 1:54.4.

The 4-year-old daughter of Up The Credit is trained by Jean Tourigny for breeder Claude Hamel, who co-owns her with Michel Damphousse.

They race as part of an entry with HP Pandora (post five), who is also bred and owned by Hamel.

Hoping for the upset win will be the 5-year-old mare, Wanda Bayama, who is bred, owned, trained and driven by Bayama Farm’s Hall of Famer, Yves Filion. She starts from post three. Another Quebec-bred Series champion, Miss Babe Delight, starts from post seven, but has yet to get on track in 2017, as she is winless in 14 starts.

First race post time is 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.quebecjockeyclub.com.