Thats Hooligan (Rose Run Hooligan) demonstrated his ability to compete against the best for the second week in a row at the Hippodrome 3R in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, winning the season's inaugural Preferred Trot on May 26.
The 10th race featured 30-1 Vitor (Steven Gagnon) taking the early lead from post four, with My Mini Miracle (Jocelyn Gendron) making the two-hole trip to the first quarter in:30. Meanwhile, race favourites Kenogami Coco (Stephane Brosseau) and Only For Justice (Francis Picard) finished in last place.
At the half-mile mark, Marie-Claude Auger led Thats Hooligan, with Orlys Pride (Denis St Pierre) behind. Vitor led the half-mile in 1:00.
Hooligan drew on Vitor on the backstretch, and the two began to open a distance on the field as they reached three-quarters in 1:30. Around the final circle, the two warriors battled until the top of the stretch when Thats Hooligan muscled his way to the front and won by one and one-half lengths in 2:00.2. Vitor finished second, followed by Orlys Pride in third.
Thats Hooligan, who is undefeated in two races this year, is trained and owned by Peter Lepage of St-Liguori, Que. He was paid $7.00 to win.
The pace mares were in the spotlight in the fourth race when race fans voted Kiss Me Bad (Badlands Hanover) the clear 1-2 favourite. She didn't disappoint.
NY Hardcore (Robert Shepherd) was the first to leave the gate and claimed the lead, with Shanghaibluebeach (Pascal Berube) taking the two-hole place to the first quarter mile in:27.4.
After the quarter, Better Kissthe Men (Simon Delisle) took the lead from the rear of the pack, providing live coverage to Kiss Me Bad and owner-driver Steven Gagnon. NY Hardcore lead the half-mile in 58.4.
Then, with an incredible burst of speed, Gagnon took Kiss Me Bad three-wide and looped the field by three-quarters in 1:28.4. She then broke away from the competition, winning by three and a half lengths in 1:56.1. NY Hardcore came in second, with Better Kissthe Men taking third place.
It was Kiss Me Bad's first win in three starts. Her first two starts came against male competitors in the Preferred Pace. She is trained by Daniel Mondou and owned by Steven Gagnon of Sorel-Tracy. She spent $3.10 to win.
Track Notes: In an unusual occurrence, H3R's daily double on Sunday finished 8-8. Astute wagering aficionados were not terrified of the two winners who began from post 8, as the $2 Daily Double paid $27.00. Both races featured nine horses, and Yves St Jacques completed a trainer double. Next Sunday, June 5, live harness racing resumes at H3R, with the first race starting at noon. The 2024 Regional Driving Championship for Quebec/Eastern Ontario will be featured.