Honolulu Hanover came from way off the pace to post a 1:55.4 upset victory in the $19,178 trotting feature on the New Year's Eve card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which had a twilight start and was contested over fast going in temperatures hovering around freezing.

Honolulu Hanover picked up good cover from favoured Kewpie Doll (Jonathan Ahle) down the backstretch, then was swung wide late on the final turn by driver Mark Herschberger. Kewpie Doll went on well, but the Bar Hopping-Holtby Hanover sophomore colt Honolulu Hanover finished even better to win by 1-1/2 lengths over the chalk for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin. Kovu As (Kyle Symington) was third. The winner returned $55.20. 

Fifty-five-dollar win payoffs from the stable of the Dan Patch Trainer of the Year are rare, but a bomber winner for Herschberger was certainly not unprecedented – he tied with Johnathan Ahle and Patrick Ryder with three big-payoff winners, the most at Philly for the meet.

Trainer Tony Alagna brought a pair of Exit 16W Pop-Up Series competitors from north New Jersey to Philly and won the two classes below the feature. Benny J ($2.20), a four-year-old son of Walner-Anywhere With You who won the final of his series in his last start, rushed right to the lead in the $18,493 sub-feature and was not severely threatened throughout in a 1:55.1 tally. Johnathan Ahle drove the winner for owner Ken Jacobs.

The Alagna Armada came back in the very next race with Fiftyshadesofblu ($2.80), an altered three-year-old son of Fiftydallarbill-Skyla Blu. He made the lead at the half and soon widened out to an uncatchable margin as he lowered his race record to 1:55.3 (a time in which he had previously won a qualifier). Anibal Borjas had the driving assignment in the $16,438 trot and made the most of it for owners John Barnard and Alagna Racing LLC.

In the card’s $15,068 contest for fast-class trotters, B Nicking ($11.60) was on top in three steps for driver Jack Pelling and never looked back in a safe 1:55.2 victory. Favoured Ritson (Kyle Symington) sat in the two-hole but could not catch the victorious eight-year-old Wishing Stone-B Nicki gelding, trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Ben Robards.

The top pacing purse on the day was the $16,438 offered developing pacers. It was won by the Stay Hungry-Yoselin Seelster sophomore gelding Stay Focused ($27.20) in 1:53.1. The Ron Burke trainee moved out for George Napolitano Jr. in front of the stands, was kept outside until getting the pocket late in the backstretch, then continued inside and had more than the closing heavy favourite Rider Hanover (Pelling) for owner Brad Grant.

After a dominant performance in his first start for trainer Bob Belcher last week, he and owner P T Stable put the five-year-old Sweet Lou-Tonightimlovingyou gelding Leroy Gibbs ($6.20) in for a $27,397 tag in the $15,068 claiming handicap pace on Wednesday. And Leroy Gibbs justified this confidence (and that of the crowd, which bet him down to 2-1) by riding outside the entire mile and still drawing off in the stretch to be the easiest of winners in 1:54.3 for driver Ridge Warren.

Warren took closing-night honours with four victories. Brandon Givens had three successes in the sulky, and George Napolitano Jr. and Jack Pelling had doubles. On the training side, there were five doublers: Tony Alagna, Bob Belcher, Scott Brockwell, Ron Burke, and Scott Di Domenico.

As it was the final night of the 2025 season, all bets normally carried over were paid out even if nobody had a perfect ticket. The Pick 5 consisted of winners sent off at 9-2, 2-1, 16-1, and 23-1 in the first four legs, and even with a $2.20 horse in the last segment, nobody had all five, so those with four of five winners received $318.60 for a 50-cent wager.

Only three of 15 favourites won on Wednesday, resulting in the following statistics: there was a 50-cent Superfecta returning $5,226.80 and four more paying over $1,000, and the two Pick 4 50-cent wagers paid $6,789.05 and $2,348.45. All of these last seven had at least one winning combination sold.

Tim Tetrick won his 11th Philly driving victory crown with 187 visits to victory lane. He and George Napolitano Jr., who was second in 2025, have been the only two local leaders in sulky wins since Cat Manzi claimed the title in the oval’s inaugural campaign of 2006. Tetrick also won his 12th UDR title with a “batting average” of .420 – only 1/1000th behind Joe Bongiorno’s all-time Philly mark of .421.

Trainer Izzy Estrada, who was particularly devastating with first-time starters for his barn, captured his first training win championship with 66 winners coming from his shedrow. Åke Svanstedt captured his second straight UTR title at Philly, and this year he rung up a .523 percentage, a single-season local mark.

Live racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday, Apr. 10, 2026. The track will stay open for simulcasting wagering. Philly’s “sister track,” Pocono Downs, opens its 2026 live season on Saturday, Feb. 13.

(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)