At Harrah’s Philadelphia, the stars come out on Tuesday morning, as returning veterans and sophomores alike were impressive in their qualifying races.

The best-known of the stars is the Captaintreacherous mare Lyons Sentinel, 2019 champion freshman, winner of $1,354,854, and one of only two horses to finish ahead of Party Girl Hill (second behind Peaky Sneaky in the 2020 Breeders Crown). Here she came from midpack in :55.2 - :27.3 to win by a nose in 1:55.4 over Rose Run Victoria for driver Tim Tetrick (a four-time qualifying winner) and trainer Jim King Jr.

Fastest qualifier was the 1:53.2 victory put up by Save Me A Dance, a four-year-old son of Heston Blue Chip who held off his Andrew Harris stablemate Gardys Legacy A, making his first Stateside start, by a nose for David Miller (a three-time winner on the morning). Third in that race was the 2019 Little Brown Jug champion Southwind Ozzi.

On the trot, Take All Comers, a Creatine sophomore gelding and half-brother to Next Level Stuff, qualified seven days ago in 2:00.2, but today he showed “next level stuff” by rallying for a victory in 1:55. David Miller drove the promising three-year-old for trainer Jim Campbell, the only trainer who have a double during the session.

Big Oil, a four-year-old son of Father Patrick who set a world record for a dead-heat in a trot with his 1:52.1 effort at two, returned for his four-year-old season in good form, making every pole a winning one in 1:56.1 for the wife/husband team of trainer Julie and driver Andy Miller.

Three three-year-old pacers of some North American note successful Tuesday morning were: Heart Of Mine, a Roll With Joe filly second in her NYSS championship, who scored in 1:56.1, with her own last half in :55.2 for driver Corey Callahan and trainer Linda Toscano; the Art Major gelding King James Express, the winner of his NYSS event, who won in 1:56.1 – 56.3 for driver David Miller and trainer Mark Harder; and an altered son of Somebeachsomewhere (and three-quarter brother to Captain Barbossa) Whichwaytothebeach, a 1:51.1f winner at two and successful here in 1:54, with a :55.1 back half on the engine for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling. (One to watch coming out of that last race is Curbside Pickup, unraced at two and acquiring his first racing line, who came his own backside fractions in :54.2 – :26.1 to be second.)

(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)