Sonny Weaver N came up the inside from the pocket to take the lead then held off fellow 2-1 shot Vettel N in winning the $16,200 fast-class handicap pacing feature on a soggy Sunday afternoon (Nov. 27) at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, hustled the Sunshine Beach gelding away from post seven to the lead early on the first turn then yielded to Da Delightful, who had started just to his right, before the :27 quarter. Bettor Not Talk started a long uncovered move at the three-eighths, with Vettel N, who had gotten away third and initially stayed in, backed out to follow the live cover approaching the :56.2 half.

Da Delightful and Bettor Not Talk battled the length of the backstretch to the 1:23.4 three-quarters and beyond, with the two right behind them swinging to a clear lane for the stretch. Sonny Weaver N had good acceleration to go to the top then held off Vettel N by a length in the 1:51.4 mile.

An 11-time winner in 2022 after notching 10 wins last year, Sonny Weaver N is trained by Jeff Cullipher, co-owner with Pollack Racing LLC.

Trendy Teen is now 12-7-5-0 since teaming with Philly’s leading trainer, Per Engblom, after a 1:51.3 victory in the $15,300 co-featured pace. Driver George Napolitano Jr. let Stonebridge Karis go by the victorious Always B Miki sophomore gelding early, reclaimed command just past the :27.4 quarter then  posted splits of :56.3 and 1:23.3 en route to the three-length tally over the pocket-sitter. The pacer is owned by Morrison Racing Stables.

Napolitano Jr. was top driver for the card with four victories; Tetrick had three and Andrew McCarthy had two. Four trainers sent out a pair of winners during the wet day: Robert Cleary, Jeff Cullipher, Per Engblom and Marc Mosher.

Harrah’s Philadelphia will present its final Thursday card of the year this coming week at 12:25 p.m.; racing will be held on Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. after that and for the two following weeks, with a Friday-Saturday schedule the last two weeks of the year. 

(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)