Corey Callahan was the hot driver during the Friday afternoon, Aug. 23 card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, steering six winners – although it took the crowd a little while to catch up with Callahan, as his first five winners (none of them in features) all paid $16.20 or more for a $2 ticket.

The Callahan sextet included a victory from Elektra A in the $17,808 featured distaff handicap pace. The daughter of Four Starzzz Shark left swiftly to gain command in a :26.2 initial panel, then yielded to favoured Jeff Cullipher stablemate Uptown Hanover and sat behind her as she put up mid-splits of :55 and 1:22.2. The winner came on in the lane to corral her barnmate by 1-1/4 lengths at the end of a 1:50.3 mile for driver Callahan and Pollack Racing LLC, who also owns the second-place finisher. Cullipher had two winners on the day, making the trainers race Dean Eckley 29, Cullipher and Per Engblom 28.     

In the $16,438 co-featured distaff pace (one of the few bigger prizes to elude Callahan), 18-1 shot Sandradimples held on gamely to win in 1:53. Half the field was involved in the :27 opening quarter, with Sandradimples making a second move just past a :55.2 half to open up a clear lead. Favoured Genie Hanover went three-wide to challenge before the 1:23.4 three-quarters, with Knock Twice on her tail, and it was a stretch-long battle among those three. Sandradimples maintained her advantage by a neck over Genie Hanover, who just edged Knock Twice for the deuce. Johnathan Ahle guided the winning daughter of A Rocknroll Dance for trainer/owner Ray Baynes.

In the $16,438 high-priced claiming handicap pace, the American Ideal gelding Glacis looked buried on the wood behind contested fractions of :26.2, :55.3 and 1:23.2 and was still sixth mid-stretch, but driver Callahan angled him out to find a path, and he exploded to be along late in 1:51.4 over rail-shooting Franco. Michael Fiumenero trains and owns the winner of two of his last three.      

The day opened with the biggest surprise of the year at Philly, as Wardan Express A followed good cover behind a fast pace, then made her bid and got the job done at a $178.80 win mutuel. Chris Temming trains and owns the winner. For driver Callahan, the victory was his second of the meet with a $100+ winner, giving him the lead in that unofficial category, and the six wins moved him to sole fourth in the Philly win standings for sulky-sitters.

Sunday’s 12:40 p.m. card at Philly will feature two-year-old pacing colts racing in their last preliminary leg of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action, trying to secure spots in the upcoming rich finales (Harrah’s Philly hosts all eight Stallion Series championships, worth $320,000 USD, on Sunday, Sept. 8). There will also be a $3,206.59 carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wager. Free Philly programs are available at phha.org.

(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)