Benjamin Hanover won his third straight $22,535 Winners Over Handicap Trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, July 30 – but the result was about the only carryover from the dynamics of this class recently.

Little Expensive (Tyler Miller), returning to Philly after a highly successful meet at Oak Grove, gunned right to the top from the outside post six, and Ari Ferrari J (Andrew McCarthy), who had won two showdowns with Benjamin Hanover before finishing second to him in the last two, hustled out to the pocket from post four. Benjamin Hanover, driven by Philly’s top driver Tim Tetrick, didn’t even eye a possibly developing three-hole tuck, shifting to an even higher gear to make the top nearing the :27.4 quarter, then set fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.

Ari Ferrari J (sent off at 6-5 behind Benjamin Hanover’s 3-5 after being the favourite in their previous four matchups) was starting to advance uncovered towards the leader nearing the far turn but suddenly lost his gait, and the race seemed down to the pacesetter and pocket-sitter. Little Expensive trotted home strongly from the two-hole after 21 days off, but Benjamin Hanover had the determination to withstand his late bid by a neck in 1:52.2. Goo For Broke (Corey Callahan) finished third.

Benjamin Hanover, now with 36 wins in his 73-start career, is trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Angela Cornell. The six-year-old Sebastian K S-By A Neck Hanover gelding is six-for-21 this year. He paid $3.40 to win.

Later on the card, Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Pennsylvania All-Stars winner Fineline Hanover ($2.10) returned from a 10-week absence and posted his fifth straight win. Jonathan Ahle placed the Captain Corey-Finesse Hanover sophomore fifth through :28.1 and :57.1 early panels, sent him onto the back of Call Me Parker (Andrew McCarthy) to three-quarters in 1:25.2, and Fineline Hanover outkicked that foe to a 2-1/2-length victory in 1:53.4. Call Me Parker held second from Frank The Elder (Mark Herschberger).

Fineline Hanover is perfect in five seasonal starts for trainer Ron Coyne Jr. and owners Ron Coyne Stables Inc., Blair Corbeil, Mike McAllister and Larry Gregg Stable. He has won seven of 12 career appearances.

The $18,310 fast-class conditioned sub-feature went to  Howlingathemoon Dk ($7.40), who enjoyed both a drop from the top level and a chance to control the pace from the inside starting slot. He cut fractions of :27, :56.3 and 1:24.3 before arriving home in control in 1:53.4. Simon Allard had the seat behind the victorious Cantab Hall-Nobodybeatsthebeat seven-year-old gelding for trainer-owner Pat Lachance.

In the $19,718 conditioned sub-feature for developing horses, the sophomore Greenshoe-Poof Shes Gone filly Berry Good News ($2.40) enjoyed a break from tough stakes competition from her Pennsylvania peers and produced an authoritative 1:55.1 score, lowering her mark by a tick. Andrew McCarthy regulated fractions of :29, :58.3, and 1:26.3 before winning in hand with the Nifty Norman-conditioned miss, owned by Melvin Hartman and David McDuffee.

Tim Tetrick led the drivers’ scorecard with three victories on the day. Winning twice in the sulky were Corey Callahan, Andrew McCarthy and Patrick Ryder.

Friday’s Philly features are for pacing distaffs looking to advance their careers, with the $14,000 USD conditioned headliner spotlighting shipper Two Twenty Swift, a championship winner in both the New York and Massachusetts programs last year. There will also be several races for two-year-olds looking to make their mark in upcoming Sire Stakes/Stallion Series action at the riverside oval.

(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Benjamin Hanover winning on Feb. 4, 2025)