The $17,808 fast-class featured conditioned pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday, Sept. 21 was a showdown between Lyons Steel (Simon Allard), a noted lover of the oval and a winner of $935,973 going into the race, and Christopher Dance N (Johnathan Ahle), a recent Stateside import who had won his last three races.

Lyons Steel got the inner post (two vs. three) and controlled the pace through dawdling fractions of :27.3, :56.4, and 1:25.1. In the stretch, Christopher Dance N came from the pocket to challenge, and neither would give in a step. The last quarter was in :26. The mile was in 1:51.1. And Lyons Steel and Christopher Dance N were both winners – the photo finish could not separate them on the line. Aardies Flash N (Colin Kelly) was third.

Lyons Steel, a Rock N Roll Heaven-Lyons Luck gelding, is trained by Jose Ramos for owner BD Racing LLC. The 10-year-old has won 62 races and earned $942,651 in 265 career starts. Christopher Guest N is conditioned by Jeff Cullipher for Pollack Racing LLC. The five-year-old son of Sweet Lou-Just Dance, who made his United States debut in August, is nine-for-17 lifetime and has banked $221,368.

In the $15,068 conditioned co-feature for the fast-class pacing set, Seven Colors had a challenger at him most of the way in the mile, but still held on for victory in 1:49.3. The son of Stay Hungry-Rainbowinthedark, a winner of $1,224,891 including his Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship in 2023, went on past a :26.2 quarter as a parked challenger could find no hole, then finally got him in behind in a demanding :53.3 half. Divine Right (Mark Herschberger) moved down the backstretch first-over and challenged the winner hard through the 1:22 three-quarters, but driver Jack Pelling kept his horse rolling for the tally by a length over the first-up horse. Mad Max Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) completed the ticket. Seven Colors, a 12-time career winner in 53 starts, races for trainer Andrew Harris, who co-owns the five-year-old with William Pollock and Bruce Areman.

In the $16,438 pace for developing male horses, White Lotus made two speed moves before the quarter, then yielded to favoured Pack A Punch (Napolitano) to sit in the two-hole through the middle half until Simon Allard moved the Tall Dark Stranger-Imagine Dragon three-year-old colt out for the stretch. The colt then out-fought the pacesetter en route to reducing his lifetime best to 1:51.2 for conditioner Per Engblom and owner Morrison Racing Stables. Pack A Punch was second by a half-length, followed by Sea Life Hanover (Mike Cole).

In a $15,068 handicap event for high-priced claiming horses, the Auckland Reactor N-Markeaton Navi gelding Juddy Douglas A responded after a claim in his last start and moving into the barn of trainer Josue Garcia, winning by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:51. Juddy Douglas A was sent three-wide late in the backstretch by Pelling and circled embattled leaders to the lead by the three-quarters, maintaining a safe margin through the lane with a :27.1 kicker for owner Anthony Ventriglio. Sawyers Desire (Kelly) edged out Coligny Hanover (Allard) for place.

And then there was the Sweet Lou-Easytouch gelding Easy Lou in a second-from-bottom conditioned class, where on the engine he led all the way en route to lowering his mark by two seconds to 1:49.1. Allard got maximum speed out of Easy Lou for trainer Eddie Sager and owners Gary Weidelman and Howard Taylor. Captain Hansen (Corey Callahan) was beaten 3-1/2 lengths in second with Captain Skippy (Napolitano) third.

Allard had four driving victories to lead the Sunday sulky colony.

This week, Harrah’s Philadelphia will be racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m., then will take a short break for track refurbishment, reopening on Friday, Oct. 10.

(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)