The Googoo Gaagaa sophomore gelding Givem The Goo took his fourth straight race on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, handling a step-up to $14,400 company and still winning the feature easily in 1:56.2.
Driver Russell Foster got the favoured three-year-old to the lead, then let Lepanto got to the front just after a :28.3 quarter. Åke Svanstedt, the driver of Lepanto, is known for backing off the second quarter after making the lead, and thus the half was reached in :59.4, with the price of trotting increasing to a 1:27.2 three-quarters as World Bank led the two-wide charge down the backstretch and through the turn.
Foster waited until the stretch then moved Givem The Goo to the passing lane, where he wore down Levanto by 1-1/4 lengths to record his fifth win in eight seasonal starts after not racing at two. Kerry Welty trains the talented trotter for owner Brian Emerson.
The $11,200 fast-class trot went to a pocket sitter who charged through on the inside to win, but there the resemblances between the features end right there. This two-holer who went on to victory was the Break The Bank K gelding Bank Box Treasure, and he certainly increased the bank account of his few backers in paying $180.60 to win for longshot specialist driver Troy Beyer, whose total of six winners at $50+ here (all in the last three months) is double that of his nearest rivals.
Beyer sent Bank Box Treasure to the lead, yielded to Lucy Mae Hanover going to the :27 quarter, then kept the hole filled as the leader parked Evs Girl to and past a :56.1 half. A host of sweepers led by Gold Medal Swan came on down the backstretch to reach contention by the 1:25.2 three-quarters, but Foster and his horse held their position, then went by Gold Medal Swan for a head victory in 1:55.3 for trainer Gilbert Garcia-Owen and owner/father Gilbert Garcia-Hererra.
Younger horses predominate on the Friday card at Philly, and the favourite in the featured $14,400 pace is Literl Lad Hanover, a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner earlier this year, who is slated to be handled by George Napolitano Jr. – who made more progress to the $100,000,000 Club here on Thursday, and with his figure of $99,988,046 after the day’s races, may get the milestone check on the Friday card. Post time for the card is 12:25 p.m.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)