A pair of $16,000 contests for developing younger horses, one on each gait, were the headliners at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a dank Friday afternoon.

In the pacing co-feature, which was for mares, War Crimes came home in :55.3, moving from third off the second turn to the lead at the five-eighths and running off to a 4-½ length victory in 1:53.1. Josh Green conditions the winner of three straight and 7 of 12 starts lifetime for Green Racing Inc. And speaking of “running off,” that’s exactly what driver Tim Tetrick did after his fourth visit to Harrah’s winners circle on the program, going on the dead run in an effort to meet transportation to reach his scheduled commitment in the first race at Yonkers tonight.

In the trot, the developing Wishing Stone gelding U Need Stones won his second straight contest, and 11th in 36 career starts, by fronting his field and then holding off the late charge of Northern Credit by a length in 1:56. The winner, owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Lawrence Carr, and Phil Collura, gave the teaming of driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke its second winner of the afternoon -– Gingras had three sulky successes in total on the card, as did Tony Morgan.

In the $14,500 top event for fast-class mare pacers, Ella Christina pulled off a rarity at the still-young Harrah’s meet -- she came off of cover to overhaul the favoured pacesetter Slick Artist A in 1:53.3. Tim Tetrick tipped the daughter of Western Ideal three-deep late on the far turn, and she built enough of a head of steam to outclose the chalk by two lengths for Louis Willinger, William Daggett Jr., Lawrence Vukovich, and the J L Benson Stables Inc. The win also gave Nick Surick his second training triumph of the day, tops among trainers at Philly. Surick leads Burke by a 7-5 score in the early going, not quite the 57-win lead over the #2 trainer Surick enjoys at his Freehold base.

(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)