TROIS RIVIERES, Quebec – The Hippodrome 3R will host leg four of the five-stop World Driving Championship this Wednesday, August 16, and an evaluation of the drivers' likely performance in the four races through an evaluation of the track's knowledgeable morning line reveals some interesting patterns – ones that could help reshape or shape the standings before the final leg at Charlottetown two days afterwards.

The World Driving Championship is held every two years in conjunction with the World Trotting Conference, which in 2017 is being staged in Canada, as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary of horse racing.

The two drivers to watch in the H3R harness competition figure to be James MacDonald, representing host country Canada, and Noel Baldacchino, from the tiny (316 square kilometers) Mediterranean island of Malta.

The races to be used for the competition at H3R are races 5 through 8 – with, unusually, MacDonald drawing the favorite in the first two races and Baldacchino in the latter two in the random draw matching drivers and horses.

In just as strange a coincidence, two other drivers have drawn the second choices in consecutive races. Dexter Dunn, a New Zealander and the defending World Driving Champion, was evaluated as second behind Baldacchino's horses in races 7 and 8, and Marcus Miller, of the United States, is second choice to MacDonald's sulky assignments in races 5 and 6.

The full projection, understandably, finds Baldachino and MacDonald rated as the top two, with the former having a one-point edge based on their other two mounts. Dunn is rated third and Miller fourth – but Miller would do well to get as many points as he can from his first two drives, as his horses in the final two races are both evaluated to be – last, eleventh!

Then again, Miller already is in the lead after the first leg of the series, and morning lines have been known on occasion to not always reflect how the racing takes place. Plus, we have yet to find a racehorse that could read the morning line in a program to see how they might do!

Post time at the Hippodrome 3R on Wednesday is 7:15 pm. The entire race card will be simulcast, not only throughout North America, but also to Australia and New Zealand. H3R is also holding a meet and greet for the race fans with all eleven drivers starting at 6:15 pm and the opening ceremonies for the night will start on the racetrack at 7:00 pm.

For more information, visit www.quebecjockeyclub.com or www.standardbredcanada.ca.

From the Quebec Jockey Club