Joe Bongiorno had a banner day at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday, July 12, driving five winners, three of which came from his own barn. These totals include Ayr Dave Gb winning in the $19,718 featured conditioned event for developing pacers, taking a mark of 1:50.1.

The son of Sweet Lou-Sold Out, owned by Mr. Joby Charles Randall of Wales, paid a very high price for gaining command – three-wide early, then two-wide before finally securing the top in a blazing :25.4 – but that tends to be the Bongiorno style, and the pair made the tactics successful. Ayr Dave Gb bottomed out the field by going on to middle splits of :54.2 and 1:21.3, and favoured Sonofanutcracker (George Napolitano Jr.) just had too far to rally, coming up three-quarters of a length shy. Moneyhill Gb (Troy Beyer) was third.

Ayr Dave Gb, a five-year-old gelding, has six wins on the season from 13 starts and is 14-for-43 lifetime. He paid $6.20 to win.

The fastest mile of the day was the 1:49.1 career mark turned in by the Sweet Lou-So Brave Hanover sophomore gelding Superchamp Hanover ($2.10), who went down the road in a conditioned pace in :26.3, :54.4 and 1:21.2. He was 14 lengths to the good for Joe P Racing, Fiddler’s Creek Stables and Alexander Racing Stable. Joe Bongiorno steered Superchamp Hanover in one of his two victorious drives for trainer Travis Alexander. The other was Pleaseletmeknow ($4.80), who took a conditioned event in 1:50.3. 

Bongiorno's other two driving-training wins on the 15-race program came with Supplemental Fee ($3) and Paxamillion ($4.20).

Bongiorno leads the Philly trainer standings with 27 wins, four better than Per Engblom. In his third season as a trainer, his barn is 107-for-456 on the campaign. After a reduction in drives last season, his sulky numbers have rebounded in 2026, with 165 victories from 811 starts. His win rates as a trainer and driver both exceed 20 per cent.

The sub-feature was an $18,310 conditioned pace for the fast-class grouping, which was won by the Always B Miki-Lady In Pink six-year-old gelding Back Pocket Miki ($5.60), never better while reducing his mark to 1:49.3. The in-form pacer moved uncovered past a :26 opener for Simon Allard and grinded through middle fractions of :54.1 and 1:21, but the arduous journey had little effect on the 2-1/2-length winner. Owned by George & Tina Dennis Racing, Back Pocket Miki was one of two winners trained by Joe Columbo and driven by Allard, who had three victories in all Sunday.

Bruno Chiodo, Joe Lee, Tony Beltrami and Anthony Verruso were winners in a quartet of American Harness Drivers Club races.

Harrah’s Philly has had little luck the last two Thursdays, with a cancellation due to extreme heat followed by a program that had to be abandoned after three races due to heavy rain. The forecast looks better for this “Trottin’ Thursday,” with its strong mixture of diagonally-gaited horses set to go.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Joe Bongiorno in 2024)