from the Quebec Jockey Club

Trois-Rivieres, PQ — Trevor Henry is a quick study and is the primary reason he and the Western Ideal stallion Western Fame emerged victorious in the C$200,000 Prix D’Ete for 4-year-old pacers at Hippodrome 3R on Sunday (Aug. 20).

Henry said during the card that he had driven at 3R “only once before, years and years ago,” but after the race he noted “I had been watching the starts here today, and the way the car goes it looked like a good spot for me to be leaving, from post five. So I was thinking about leaving fast from the very start.”

thephotodesk.ca photo

Western Fame captures the Prix D’Ete on Sunday at H3R.

Western Fame was of the same mind as he made the lead before the first turn. Awesomeness defended the pocket, as Roll Away Joe was stuck outside. Jody Jamieson, behind 1-5 favorite Sintra, was behind the parked Dr J Hanover, just ahead of Lyons Snyder after the :27.1 quarter.

Western Fame got a breather on the lead as he reached the half in a pedestrian :56.3. With Sintra moving three-wide but failing to gain and Awesomeness in the pocket, Western Fame was required to pace only a pair of :28.2 quarters to stop the timer in 1:53.2.

Awesomeness was 1-1/4 lengths behind with Roll Away Joe three-quarters of a length back in third. Lyons Snyder rallied four-deep for fifth, ahead of final check-getter Sintra.

Western Fame, who has been a contender in many stakes events for the last two years, is owned and bred by Brittany Farms LLC. He is trained by Jimmy Takter, who combined with Ron Burke for a stranglehold on the Prix d’Ete trophy. Takter won the race that marked the revival of the stake in 2014, and Burke then took it the next two years.

“I wasn’t sure how good a spot I was in coming off the third turn, because I knew Sintra would be coming up three-wide to challenge,” Henry said. “But when we were heading towards the last turn and he was still out three-wide, I started to feel better about my chances.”

There were four C$7,500 divisions of Quebec-bred Coupe de l’Avenir contests for 2-year-old colt and filly pacers. It is the last chance to qualify for Sept. 3’s C$480,000 day of championships for the eight divisions of 2- and 3-year-olds.

The Sportsmaker colt Stock once again turned in a dominant performance while winning in 1:55.4. He opened his career with an Ontario Grassroots win, then took a division of the opening leg of the Quebec-bred series. Stock next tried his luck at the Battle Of Waterloo, where he won an elimination before being undone by post eight in the final.

He certainly bounced back with authority on Sunday, with only G A Speed Sammy able to stay anywhere close to the talented winner.

Stock is trained by Dany Fontaine for owner Sotirios Anastaspoulos and Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc. and 3R’s leading driver, Stephane Brosseau.

Driver Louis Philippe Roy can seemingly do no wrong at 3R. He kept the pocket shut early with El Muchacho behind a speed duel and then was locked in when the outer tier formed nearing the half. Odds-on favorite Power Fog was second-over and looking like a possible sweeper.

But the horse who had been two-wide in the speed duel, Determinant, bore out going to the third turn to give a clear road to El Muchacho and Louis Phillippe. The Goliath Bayama colt moved to the lead before the three-quarters to win for trainer Maguire and the owning partnership of the driver and Ecuries Maguire Inc.

The final clocking of 2:01.1 was a new lifetime mark for the two-time series winner.

Hall of Famer Mike Lachance was the grand marshal for Prix d’Ete Day, so it seemed appropriate that his buddy from the days of success in the mid-Atlantic area in the 70s, Yves Filion, would be a winner’s circle visitor in a division of the filly competition, as he overcame post eight with Katniss S BG to win handily in 2:03.2.

The daughter of Mach Three, out of a full sister to Wakizashi Hanover, certainly looked like a warrior leader on Sunday, striding home much the best.

In the second cut for the misses, first-time Quebec-series winner Lit De Rose won in 1:59.1, a personal best. The daughter of Leader Bayama paid a very high price for the lead, being parked in :28.1 before getting the top, then cut middle fractions of :57.1 and 1:27.1 to award driver Dan Dube one of his four winning drives on the day.

A pair of C$8,000 Invitationals was also scheduled on the card, with the trot reuniting driver Roy, trainer Maguire, and the winner’s circle with the 12-year-old Conway Hall gelding Four Starz Speed. Parked to a :28.2 quarter to get the lead, the horse turned back all challenges from there on in his 1:59 victory.

The win was the 52nd of Four Starz Speed’s career for C$831,887 in purse money. Ecuries Maguire Inc. own the gelding who is a New York Sire Stakes champion.

On the pacing side, Roy reported home first for the fourth time on the day after he and Ufdragons Rocket came home all alone in 1:54.1. The favored Dragon Again gelding was out to a :27.3 quarter, then parked major danger Bali through middle splits of :56.3 and 1:25.2. From there, he pulled away for his 11th victory of this campaign.

The winner of C$336,513 is trained by Yves Tessier for owner Francois Morin.