Trainer Scott Di Domenico achieved his milestone 3,000th career win on Friday, June 12 at Harrah's Philadelphia.

The milestone moment occurred in the afternoon's sixth race as Calvin Hanover led wire-to-wire in 1:54.1 to win a $14,583 conditioned pace with Jim Marohn Jr. aboard. Owned by Oompa S Farm Inc. of Cream Ridge, New Jersey and Joseph Barbera of Melville, New York, the three-year-old Papi Rob Hanover-Code One Hanover gelding broke his maiden after hitting the board in six of his first eight starts. The bettors' choice topped Edgar Hanover and Brad Chisholm by a length with longshot Macs Skywalker and Anibal Borjas following back in third.

The 43-year-old Di Domenico, a native of Illinois, is well on his way to his 15th consecutive season of 100+ training wins, with his best year in 2019, when he won 305 races and $4.7 million, which contributed greatly to his lifetime earnings of more than $49 million. Di Domenico becomes the 19th trainer all-time (11th on the “active” list) to have conditioned 3,000 winners in North America.

Friday afternoon's feature race was a $19,444 top fast-class distaff pace won by the Juan Cano trainee Gigglingonthebeach.

Five-wide almost to the three-sixteenths mark; four-wide almost to the quarter; three-wide until heading towards the three-eighths; then two-wide until gaining the lead and the inside going into the second turn. And then having the second choice coming right at you up the inside late, getting to near-even in deep stretch. It takes a special horse to dig down and find more to give after a horror show trip like that. But that’s just what the Papi Rob Hanover-Always Giggling mare Gigglingonthebeach did, edging Wise Professor by the smallest possible margin in 1:52.1 to win.

Wise Professor, with George Napolitano Jr. in the bike, was the mare just inside Gigglingonthebeach through the early fireworks of :26.4 and :54.3, so she certainly had to do hard work as well. But Gigglingonthebeach, once on top, made the three-quarters in 1:23.2 and then gave a classic display of courage in winning for driver Troy Beyer. A back-to-back winner this month, the four-year-old mare is owned by Hot Lead Farm of Allentown, New Jersey.

In the $15,972 fast-class sub-feature for the side-wheeling females, the four-year-old Captaintreacherous-Shartin N mare Princess Stella sat just off an early duel for the lead, then brushed to the top under the wire the first time, maintaining the lead until going under the wire the second time. The time of 1:51.4 was just a fifth of a second off the lifetime best of Princess Stella, driven by Mark Herschberger for trainer Kelvin “Red” Harrison and owner Richard Poillucci of South Easton, Massachusetts. The early battle took such a toll on the major contenders that 112-1 shot Prideful, driven by Patrick Ryder, was able to rally for second, although not menacing.

Shes A Rich Girl, a full sister to Treacherous Dragon and a three-quarter sister to Stay Hungry, showed the quality in her pedigree in finding enough to turn back a competitive group in a $16,666 distaff pace for developing horses. Another Captaintreacherous distaff, the three-year-old filly out of My Little Dragon turned back all challengers to win in 1:52 for driven Johnathan Ahle, trainer Linda Toscano and owners Richard Young of Boca Raton, Florida and Joanne Young of Vacaville, California. It was a 1-2 finish for Toscano with Eternal Dream following 1-1/2 lengths behind in rein to Simon Allard.

Johnathan Ahle had four wins on the 14-race program to top the driving crew; one of them was for Per Engblom, who conditioned two winners. Mark Herschberger had three victories, including both of trainer Ivan Llopez’s success stories. Jim Marohn Jr. had a driving double.

The closing card of the week at Harrah’s Philly will take place at 12:40 p.m. on Sunday, with a talented mixture of pacing males in both the fast-class and developing categories. 

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)