The temperatures were sizzling and so was the action on the racetrack this past week at Harrah's Philadelphia, where two track records fell in two straight days.

On Thursday (July 20), Julie Miller trainee Opulent Yankee (driven by Andy Miller) set a track record for older gelding trotters, as he scorched the surface in 1:51.4. The husband and wife team repeated the feat on Friday afternoon (July 21) in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event for two-year-old male trotters. Mets Hall, who was a purchase for $132,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale, stopped the clock in 1:55.1, lowering the previous record of 1:55.2 set a year prior by Don Dream. The undefeated two-year-old by Cantab Hall-Mets Inn is owned by Stroy Inc. and the Andy Miller Racing Stable. His family includes 2009 Horse of the Year Muscle Hill. The Miller dominance continued Friday as Toast Of Lindy picked up a win in PASS action for owners Andy Miller Stables, Lindy Racing, and Gaitway Stables. The trotting son of Cantab Hall-Bellini Lindy gamely held off the Jimmy Takter charge Storming Mist in a time of 1:56.1.

In other Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action on Friday afternoon, Final Dream, a $45,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, won in 1:55.3 for owners Joe Sbrocco, Lars Berg, and Trainer/Driver Ake Svanstedt. The two-year-old trotting son of Cantab Hall-Oh Sweet Baby came up the passing lane to nip the favourite Maxus (Yannick Gingras) in the final strides.

Anthony MacDonald of thestable.ca was excited when he saw a horse by the name of Lawmaker was up for sale. "Not many people know this, but this horse’s brother, Programmer, was one of our best two-year-olds early this year. He was later sold, left The Stable, and hasn’t surfaced so far in 2016," MacDonald said on The Stable's website. "So we were interested when Programmer’s brother, Lawmaker, a big, strong, Muscle Massive trotting colt showed up in the Lexington sale catalogue. Needless to say, Lawmaker has all the tools – breeding, looks and movement – to become a good horse. Now the rest is up to him." Fast forward, the two-year-old trotting son of Muscle Massive-Pretty Amigo has strung together two straight wins in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action, including the victory on Friday afternoon in 1:57.2. Lawmaker now has career earnings of just under $50,000, including two wins in just three starts.

Also on the Friday afternoon card, Carribean Rose N sprung a major upset in overnight competition, a non-winners of $15,000 in the last five for filly and mare pacers. The eight-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight flew to the top from Post 7 and yielded the lead to American Filly beyond the quarter. The Darran Cassar trainee was able to angle out at three quarters after a brief shuffle to draw off to win in 1:51.2 for driver Andy McCarthy and her owners, the Windermere Stables of New York. He rewarded her backers with a $59.00 mutuel.

Harrah's Philadelphia races live every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday with a first post of 12:40 p.m. (Eastern).

(Harrah’s Philadelphia)