Once again, the “Cancelliere Breakfast Special” was on the menu of the Tuesday morning qualifiers at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with Maximus Miki and then Ruthless Hanover easily winning the first two of the May 13 qualifiers for the team of trainer Tom Cancelliere and owner John Cancelliere.

Ruthless Hanover was again the main entrée, as the eight-year-old roared through fractions of :28, :55.2 and 1:23 en route to a 6-3/4-length victory in 1:51 with the guidance of George Napolitano Jr. The Somebeachsomewhere-Rockaroundthetrack gelding went the fastest mile ever on a five-eighths-mile track when he won here in the 2023 Joseph Auger Memorial, stopping the clock in 1:46.3. Last year, he defended his Auger title successfully, in 1:47.2. But the Auger was his fifth start of 2023 and second of 2024, and with his 2025 card showing nothing but this and a previous qualifier win on April 29 in 1:53.1, it will be interesting if 'Ruthless' tries for a three-peat on “Super Sunday” just 12 days hence.

Maximus Miki, an altered son of Always B Miki-Beach Gal and a multiple Open-level winner, is quite the “opening course” himself, and he followed up on his 1:55.3 qualifier of April 29 with a success involving fractions of :28.1, :56.1 and 1:24.4 en route to an 18-length triumph in 1:52.2, also with Napolitano driving.

There was good trotting action as well during the qualifying session. The $1.3 million earner French Wine -- a past winner in the Pennsylvania and Kentucky stakes programs, second in the Kentucky Futurity and the Hambletonian Maturity, and third in the Breeders Crown -- rallied in 1:55 in his five-year-old bow. Trained by Julie Miller and driven by Andy Miller, the son of Bar Hopping-Creamy Mimi finished a half-length ahead of Super Duper Cooper, who was second to Sir Pinocchio in the New York Sire Stakes final last year.

Also looking good was the sophomore Gimpanzee-Jolene Jolene filly Voguish -- who was a nose off What A Bid Hanover in the Goldsmith Maid in her previous start last year -- winning her season's qualifying debut in 1:54.3, with Todd McCarthy doing the driving for trainer Andrew Harris.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Ruthless Hanover winning at Harrah's Philadelphia in 2023)