The three-year-old trotting filly Tandem Hanover enjoyed the relief of not having to face Grand Circuit opposition on a cool afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Nov. 21, picking up a 1:55 victory in the $19,014 featured trot on the card.

David Miller, who topped all drivers on the day with four visits to Victory Lane, got the favourite going frontwards early, making the top before a :28.1 quarter, then yielding to the brushing second-choice Supernova Hanover and sitting in the golden chair through midsplits of :57 and 1:25.4. I See A Star gained first-over on the far turn, so Miller waited for the inside to open up in the stretch, and he guided his daughter of Walner to a half-length triumph over her uncovered foe, with G Load parlaying an inside trip into a third ahead of the pacesetter.

Andrew Harris trains the successful $510,000 yearling, a full sister to Temporal Hanover and having Glidemaster in the next maternal line of her pedigree, for himself and partners William Pollock and Bruce Areman.

There were three divisions of the $16,901 sub-feature class on the Philly “Trottin’ Thursday” card. The fastest, clocked in 1:55.2, went to the Muscle Mass sophomore gelding Stormont Happy Day, who in his second start since coming from Canada took a new mark, going wire-to-wire and easily defeating his conqueror from his initial Philly start, favored Chipper Dale, for trainer Dylan Davis and owner Michael Casalino Jr.

Another Philly invader, the Freehold shipper Robert Michael, clicked in his debut for trainer Richard Johnson, with the Crazy Wow sophomore gelding posting a lifetime best of 1:55.4. Simon Allard got a strong :28 backstretch move out of his charge to take over command, and the youngster was not threatened the rest of the way for owner Robert Weinstein.

The third co-feature saw David Miller bring in another three-year-old filly, the Tactical Landing miss Embrace The Future, who made the early lead, got a breather to the half, then sprinted home in :28.1 to open a daylight advantage to the wire in a 1:56.1 mile. Yet another Harrah’s Philly newcomer, Embrace The Future won for trainer Per Engblom and the partnership of Jeff Fought Racing, Brian Carsey, and Black And White Racing, who acquired the promising youngster on Oct. 1.

Friday’s 12:25 card at Philly features fast-class racing on both gaits, with a $15,000 USD trot and three divisions of a $14,000 USD handicap pace the features.

(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia; photo of Tandem Hanover from a previous victory)