Hippodrome de Trois-Rivières: harness racing and pari-mutuel betting in Quebec

By Étienne ParadisEditor, guides Fact-checked by Catherine Dubé Updated Nov 7, 2026

Key takeaways

Hippodrome 3R, at 1850 boulevard des Forges in Trois-Rivières, is the only track in Quebec running professional harness races; it is operated by the Club Jockey du Québec, a not-for-profit.
The 2026 season ran from May 3 to November 1, with 44 dates approved by the Régie, Sunday programs and, from June 4, Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.; admission and parking are free.
Race bets are pari-mutuel: stakes go into a pool, the takeout comes off, and the rest is shared among winners, so the odds on the board are only approximate until post time.
On every bet made in Quebec, the province takes 2.5% and Ottawa 0.8%, inside the takeout; payouts are rounded to a multiple of 5 cents.
You must be 18 to buy or cash a ticket. You bet at the track windows or online with an account, through HPIbet or the Dark Horse app, as linked by the track.

Quebec once had Blue Bonnets in Montréal. Today, if you want to watch horses race for real and bet on site, the road leads to Trois-Rivières. Hippodrome 3R describes itself as the only place in Quebec that hosts professional harness races. This guide explains how the track works, when it races, how pari-mutuel betting works, how much the track keeps from each bet and the rules that apply to your tickets. Facts come from Hippodrome 3R, the Club Jockey du Québec, the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency and the Criminal Code, checked on 7 November 2026.

The basics

Address: 1850 boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 0A2. Phone 819-374-6734.
Operator: the Club Jockey du Québec (CJQ), a not-for-profit founded in June 2009 by horse owners.
Racing: harness racing (trotters and pacers) on a half-mile oval.
Admission and parking: free, according to the track's June 2, 2026 column.
Betting age: 18 to buy or cash a ticket.
On site: snack bar, bar, catering and track rental for events.

Right next door, at 1900 boulevard des Forges, is Loto-Québec's Salon de jeux de Trois-Rivières, covered in our gaming halls guide.

The 2026 season and what comes next

The Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux approved 44 race dates for 2026. The CJQ planned 40 regular programs and scheduled 44 to absorb cancellations and special events. The season opened on Sunday, May 3 and closed on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

Sunday remains the main day. In January the CJQ announced a first post at 11 a.m. instead of noon to attract off-track bettors, while keeping the option to go back to noon. The June 2, 2026 column refers to Sunday programs at noon.
Thursday replaced Friday as the second betting day, with 16 programs from June 4 and a first post at 5:30 p.m.
Stakes races for Quebec-bred horses: the Coupe de l'Avenir and the Trophée des Éleveurs (2- and 3-year-olds) and the Série québécoise (4 and up). The Lucien Bombardier Pace was on the card on October 4.

Dates for the Circuit régional des courses de chevaux du Québec, which races at agricultural fairs, are not part of those 44. On November 7, 2026 the 2027 calendar was not yet published, so watch the track's site in the spring.

A short history

According to the City of Montréal's heritage statement, the Blue Bonnets racetrack opened in 1907. Flat racing ended there in 1970, and harness racing in 2009, when the Hippodrome de Montréal closed. For months, Quebecers could not legally bet on racing at all. In June 2009, owners founded the CJQ to keep the sport alive. In March 2010, holding a live racing permit, the CJQ was cleared to take internet bets through a deal with HorsePlayer Interactive, Woodbine's platform. Standardbred Canada reported at the time that the takeout paid by Quebec bettors fell from about 30% to 23%.

The CJQ says pari-mutuel betting is the main way racing is funded, without government aid. That is why handle matters so much to the track's survival.

How pari-mutuel betting works

At the races, you are not betting against a bookmaker who sets decimal odds, as on Mise-o-jeu. You are betting against other bettors. All stakes on one bet type, say the winner of race 5, go into a pool. The track removes a percentage allowed by regulation, the takeout, and splits the rest among winning tickets.

The direct consequence: the odds move until post time. The CJQ notice says the approximate odds on the board show the likely return on a $1 win bet at the moment they are posted, nothing more.

An example with round numbers. Take a $10,000 win pool and a 16% takeout, the win rate the CJQ table listed for Keeneland in 2021:

Takeout: $10,000 × 16% = $1,600. That leaves $8,400 to share.
$2,300 was bet on the winning horse. Each dollar returns $8,400 ÷ $2,300 = $3.652.
The payout is rounded down to a multiple of 5 cents: $3.65 per dollar, or $7.30 on a $2 ticket.

The few cents dropped in step 3 are called breakage. In Canada the Criminal Code rounds to 5 cents; many US tracks round to 10 cents, so the CJQ can pay 5 cents more on a one-dollar payout. To turn odds into implied probability, our guide to betting odds explained shows the maths.

Takeout: what the track keeps

Takeout depends on the bet type and, for races simulcast from elsewhere, on the host track. The CJQ notice gives two fixed markers: on every bet made at Quebec tracks and betting halls, the province takes 2.5% and the federal government 0.8%. Those amounts sit inside the takeout; they are not added to your stake.

The federal 0.8% funds the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency (CPMA), which supervises betting for the Minister of Agriculture. The Criminal Code (section 204(4)) sets this levy at 0.5% of each pool, or more, up to 1%, if the government decides. In 2018, according to the CPMA, Canadians bet over $1.21 billion on racing, and the federal levy brought in $9.7 million.

For simulcast races, the CJQ table compares its rate with the host track's. Often they match (Keeneland win: 16% and 16%), but not always: in 2021 an Arlington Park trifecta cost 27% through the CJQ against 25% at the host track. Exotic bets almost always carry a higher takeout than win bets.

Bet types

Win: your horse finishes first.
Place: first or second.
Show: first, second or third. Easiest to cash, smallest payout.
Exactor (exacta): the first two in exact order.
Triactor (trifecta): the first three in order.
Superfecta: the first four in order, offered at 20 cents in Trois-Rivières.
Daily double: the winners of two designated races, on one ticket bought before the first.

A box covers every order of your horses (a boxed 1-2 exactor pays on 1-2 or 2-1), and a wheel pairs one horse with several others. Each combination is one more bet, so the ticket costs more.

These bets can pay big. On Sunday, August 16, 2026, with $188,456 bet on the program, the 2-6-X trifecta in race 8 paid $2,015.40 for $2, and the 20-cent superfecta returned $1,865.97, according to the track's column. Only two favourites won that day. That is pari-mutuel in a nutshell: a big payout means almost nobody had the right combination.

Where and how to bet

At the track. At the windows and self-serve terminals on race days.

Online. The track's site links to HPIbet, Woodbine's platform, and the Dark Horse app on iOS and Android. You need to open an account. According to the CPMA, phone or internet betting is open to anyone of legal age who holds an account with a racetrack. The Criminal Code (section 204(2)) treats such a bet as made on the racetrack itself.

Racing runs under a separate federal system. Our guide on whether sports betting is legal in Quebec explains why Bill C-218 left horse racing alone.

Watching. Races stream live on RTN and on the track's YouTube channel, and results are published by Standardbred Canada. In 2026, the program preview started at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday race days, on YouTube (Canal Cheval) and Facebook.

Rules worth knowing about your tickets

The CJQ notice, based on the CPMA regulation, sets practical rules:

Cancellation: allowed until betting closes for the race, as long as it does not threaten betting integrity. At self-serve terminals, a ticket of $300 or less can be cancelled only within 40 seconds of printing; over $300, no cancellation. At a window, a ticket over $300 needs ID, with your name and address on the back.
Checking: check your ticket before leaving the window. Report an error to the pari-mutuel office where the transaction took place.
System failure: if a failure stops stakes from reaching the pools before a race ends, every ticket on that race is refunded.
Keep it: hold your tickets until the result is official and payouts are posted.
Old tickets: a ticket stays valid, but after two years it can no longer be cashed at a window; mail it to the CJQ at Hippodrome 3R.

A day at the track

For a first visit, a Sunday afternoon is the easy choice. Download the free program from the track's site the day before to see the entries for each race. On site there is a snack bar and a bar, and the track can be rented for groups and events. It hosts other events too: on Sunday, August 23, 2026 there was no racing because the track was hosting a GP3R rallycross presentation. Check the calendar before you make the drive. If you are only betting for fun, a few $2 win or place tickets are enough to follow every race with interest.

Stay in control

Ten or so races per program, 20-cent exotics and four-figure payouts: pari-mutuel is built to make you want one more ticket. Set a budget for the day before you arrive, and remember that the takeout comes off every stake, win or lose. If gambling becomes a problem, Jeu: aide et référence is free, confidential and open 24/7 at 1-800-461-0140. Our glossary entry on self-exclusion and our responsible gambling page have more.

Sources

Checked 7 November 2026.

Key terms

Implied probability: The win chance hidden inside the odds: turn any price into a percentage and you see what the book thinks will happen.
Decimal odds: One number that shows your total return per dollar, stake included; it's what Mise-o-jeu+ uses, written with a comma.
Mise-o-jeu: Mise-o-jeu is Loto-Québec's sports betting brand: paper slips at lottery retailers and Mise-o-jeu+ online, for players 18+ who are in Quebec.
Self-exclusion: A ban you put on yourself ("autoexclusion") to stop gambling at one site, or at every licensed site in a region, for a set time.

Frequently asked questions

When are the races at the Hippodrome de Trois-Rivières?

In 2026 the season ran from Sunday, May 3 to Sunday, November 1. Sunday was the main day, and a second program ran on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. from June 4. The 2027 dates were not published on November 7, 2026; they must be approved by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux.

How much does it cost to get into Hippodrome 3R?

Nothing. According to the track's June 2, 2026 column, admission and parking remain free. Race programs are also free on the track's website, and the site has a snack bar, a bar and catering.

How does pari-mutuel betting work?

All stakes on one bet type, such as the winner of a race, go into a pool. The track removes its takeout, which includes 2.5% for Quebec and 0.8% for the federal government, then splits the rest among winning tickets. The more money on your horse, the lower the payout.

Can you bet online on Trois-Rivières races?

Yes, with an account. The track's site links to HPIbet and the Dark Horse app. The Criminal Code treats a bet placed remotely, by phone or internet, with a racetrack or betting theatre as made on the racetrack itself.

Can you cancel a horse racing bet?

Yes, until betting closes for the race, within limits. At self-serve terminals, a ticket of $300 or less can be cancelled only within 40 seconds of printing, and a ticket over $300 cannot be cancelled. At a window, you need ID to cancel anything over $300.

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