There was no sophomore trotting filly adding a second Pennsylvania Sire Stakes credit to her resume when two divisions of the third preliminary round were raced at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, July 18; in fact, both winners had most recently competed in the Stallion Series division of the Pennsylvania program.

The quicker winner was the Greenshoe-Broadway Chuckles filly, Dearly Beloved, who has victories in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series, the Currier & Ives and now the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in her last three starts after lowering her mark to 1:53.1 in this $70,799 division. Dearly Beloved was moved uncovered at the half by driver David Miller and the game filly, now six-for-nine on the year, trotted her own back half in :55.4 to go past pacesetting favourite Hangover (Ake Svanstedt) by 1-1/2 lengths for trainer Jenny Melander and owner Donald Bartling of Hanover, Maryland. Goodgirl Bi IT (Mattias Melander) was third.

The “uncovered horse catching the front-stepping chalk by 1-1/2 lengths” scenario was repeated in the second division of the Sire Stakes, worth $71,347; here it was Highlandstarburst, a daughter of Father Patrick and Highland Top Hill, overcoming the rough journey under Yannick Gingras’s handling to go past leader Payback Moni (Brady Brown) to win in a lifetime best 1:53.2 -- her own back numbers were :55.2 and :27.3. Trainer Nancy Takter took trotting hopples off the filly upon her arrival to her new barn and the homebred filly had no problems winning, improving to two-for-three on the year, for Highland Thoroughbred Farm of Inglewood, Ont. Bizzy Brenda (Steve Smith) competed the top three.

In the only $27,397 division of Stallion Series action for this group, the International Moni-High Musclemass filly, Seal The Deal AS, dropped down from the Sire Stakes and was much the best in her field, winning in 1:52.4, a new mark, faster than either Sire Stakes division, and only three-fifths of a second off the track record. Tim Tetrick got the winner of two straight to the lead at the quarter, and favoured Tabdone (Trond Smedshammer) made a break behind them as they started to move forward and had an easy time of it after that, with only pocket-sitter Bay Breeze Hanover (Andy Miller) within hailing distance but three lengths back at the line. Seal The Deal AS is trained by Anette Lorentzon for owned/breeder ACL Stuteri AB of Paris, Kentucky.

Last Friday, trainer Ray Burt sent the longest-priced winner of the meet, Sporty Dragon, who paid $136.20 for a $2 ticket. The crowd will catch on to Burt eventually, but it didn’t Friday – just seven days later – as Burt was the conditioner behind A Stud Named Sam, who came from off a hot pace to win and return $121.20.

Burt is the only trainer to have two $50+ “bombers” in the meet, and both of his brought back more than $100. A Stud Named Sam was driven by Patrick Ryder, one of only two horsemen to have a pair of $50+ winners at Philly in 2025 – the other is Johnathan Ahle, who drove Sporty Dragon! (And then later on the card, Ahle grabbed back the “bomber lead” back when winning with Always Trump at $54.40.) There were five $50+ horses in the first 37 days of the 2025 season and now there have been five in the last eight, including Ahle’s triple contribution.

The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, led all sulky-sitters with three wins on Friday. Doubles were put up by David Miller, George Napolitano Jr., and Åke Svanstedt. Svanstedt also had a pair of winners on the training side, as did Brett Pelling.

The racing week will conclude at Philly on Sunday with a 12:40 p.m. card. There will be a carryover of $3381.32 into the first race Pick 4 pool. 

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Dearly Beloved)