R Lady W was a pocket rocket in the $18,493 conditioned feature trot on a cool “Trottin’ Thursday,” May 21 card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, drawing clear in the stretch to take a new mark of 1:54 despite a sloppy track

Philly’s top driver, Tim Tetrick, quickly got the favoured daughter of Walner-Born Lindy to the lead, then yielded to second choice Islandgirl Hanover (Trond Smedshammer) and sat behind that one through fractions of :27.3, :56.3 and 1:25.3. Tetrick gave R Lady W the cue to go midway around the turn, and the distaff responded eagerly, taking over before headstretch and winning as she pleased for her second straight triumph. She was 4-1/4 lengths clear of Islandgirl Hanover, with Abraham Hanover (Stacy Chiodo) third. 

Linda Toscano trains R Lady W for lessee M&L of Delaware/Armitage Farm. The four-year-old is now five-for-32 lifetime. She paid $2.80 to win.

The $16,438 sub-feature for developing trotters went to the three-year-old Trixton-Smash Hit filly Julies Trix ($2.60). She was a good second in her return mile having shed hopples, and then came back Thursday and worked to the lead in front of the stands before flying clear to win by 11-1/4 lengths in a lifetime-best 1:55.3. Anibal Borjas had the drive for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Joseph Giaramita and Alagna Racing LLC.

The fast-class trotters had a sub-featured conditioned event for $17,808, and they produced an exciting contest in which Maryland shipper Victor Laszlo ($20.80) won his third straight race. The five-year-old Chapter Seven-Sianna Hanover stallion won by the narrowest of margins over 1-9 chalk Ultion Face S in 1:55.1 for trainer Janet Davis, who shares ownership with Tamara Williams. Driver Eric Davis made an aggressive second move uncovered down the back, with Ultion Face S (Tetrick), last week’s feature winner, caught in the pocket and unable to get out until the eventual winner had gone by the pacesetter at headstretch. The heavy chalk rallied strongly along the inside, but Davis kept Victor Laszlo, the 9-1 second choice, going bravely to withstand the charge by a nose.

Tetrick had a driving triple in what is usually a very productive week for him — in the Super Sunday Invitationals, he has had at least one winner in 11 of the 17 editions. Simon Allard and Andy Miller each had two winning turns in the sulky. No trainer sent out a pair of victorious charges.

Friday’s Philly action will feature fillies and mares in most of the feature-race slots, with the card slated to begin at 12:25 p.m. Then comes one of the strongest programs assembled in North American harness racing so far this year, the annual Super Sunday extravaganza, which features $100,000 USD invitationals for female and male pacers and trotters, plus third-round action in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series. More than $600,000 USD will be offered in purses on the day, and the card will feature free-for-all fields whose lifetime earnings collectively exceed $20 million.

(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)