Arch Credit and driver Andrew McCarthy never looked back in winning the $17,000 featured trot Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the altered son of Credit Winner posting a new mark of 1:54.

Arch Credit posted fractions of :27, :56.4, and 1:24.4, the last-named while shaking off the first-over bid of Pricelesspossesion. Through the stretch favoured Mississippi Storm, caught third-in, had to wait a long time for clearance between horses. And when he did find it, he was directly behind the winner and had to be shut off nearing the wire to finish second. Arch Credit is a Ron Burke trainee who now has earned $113,983 for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

The Cantab Hall gelding Perseverance found a drop in class to his liking, taking a $14,500 co-featured trot while equaling his lifetime mark of 1:54.4. David Miller had to go the hard route with the winner, tucking third and then having to go first-over, but the winner of $143,887 was more than equal to the task, winning by a half-length over favored pacesetter Classic Belisima for trainer Eric Ell and the ownership of Ken Wood, Tribbett Racing, Bill Ditmar Jr., and Steve Iaquinta.

(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)