The Liberty Bell Stakes for Pennsylvania-sired youngsters opened its fall stand at Harrah’s Philadelphia during a Friday night card of racing, and in the very first Liberty Bell event of 2024, the International Moni-Kristins Victory freshman trotting filly Country Victory set a divisional track record of 1:53.4.
In one of two $41,096 divisions for the two-year-old trotting fillies, Matt Kakaley sent Country Victory right to the lead and rattled off splits of :27.3, :57.1 and 1:25.3, then finished out in :28.1 to leave her opponents far behind while shaving a fifth of a second off the local mark set by Insta Glam in 2020. Trainer Melvin Schmucker and owner Yacht Club 140 LLC saw their two-year-old put her lifetime earnings over $150,000 with the triumph, and she also posted a lifetime mark winning for the third time in eight starts.
In the other freshman filly trot, the winner also turned in a lifetime quickest clocking, with the Southwind Frank-High Heels filly Elaine T S lowering her best by a fifth with a 1:56.1 score. Looped early by a four-wide Bay Breeze Hanover, Elaine T S and driver George Napolitano Jr. pressed on to the lead as the crowd’s choice, had the field strung out much of the way, then kept her closest rival, two-holer Bay Breeze Hanover, away by three-quarters of a length at the finish for trainer Åke Svanstedt and the partnership of Brochart Stable Inc., Ecurie Diocles AB and Åke Svanstedt Inc.
There were also two $44,452 Liberty Bell sections for three-year-old pacing males. Matt Kakaley also won the first section for the sophomores with Vengeance Blue Chip, putting up quick numbers of :27.1, :55 and 1:22.3 with favoured Rush In right behind him and the others in the field falling back in the late stages. Vengeance Blue Chip dug in tenaciously (a tribute to trainer Joe Pavia Jr., as the Captaintreacherous-Ramalama gelding had had only one purse race in the last 40 days) and fended off Rush In by half a length while taking a new mark of 1:49.4 for the ownership of Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Kayser and Pint Size Racing.
Tim Tetrick hooked up with the Stay Hungry-Anderosa Hanover gelding Armada Hanover to post a 1:51.1 victory in this group’s other section. Favoured Solid Character went up early but quickly got the message from Armada Hanover to find a spot along the pylons and then was not a late factor; closest at the finish was the tuck-then-first-over De La Hoya Hanover, but his bid, while solid, came up three parts of a length shy. Brett Pelling conditions the winner for David McDuffee, Rojan Stables and Pelling Racing.
A $20,548 event was carded for the fastest overnight trotters at Philly, and the Bar Hopping-Palm Beach Bi gelding Keg Stand surmounted the outermost post with good gate speed, taking his field coast-to-coast while fighting off favoured potential pocket rocket Mississippi Storm by one length in 1:52.2. Todd McCarthy had the drive behind the winner of more than $735,000 for trainer Nicholas Devita and the ownership of David Hamm and EVM Racing.
The distaff fast-class pace was also worth $20,548, and in it the Four Starzzz Shark-Protikori mare Elektra A beat out her stablemate, pacesetting favourite Talk Curdy To Me, coming up the inside from the pocket to tally for driver Corey Callahan in 1:51.1, with a neck separating the barnmates at the finish. Seventy-five per cent of the purse went to trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing.
In a $19,178 fast-class pace for males, Da Delightful, a son of Bettors Delight and Marnie Hall, got moved to the lead early by driver David Miller, then stayed clear of grinding chalk I Did It Myyay by a length in a 1:50.4 mile with identical back quarters of :27.2. Mark Silva owns and trains the winner of more than $500,000.
Honours among the horsemen for the night were the triples for George Napolitano Jr. and Tim Tetrick on the driving side, allowing Napolitano to retain a two-win margin over Tetrick atop the local colony. Matt Kakaley, the leading driver at Pocono, had the only other sulky double. On the training side, Jeff Cullipher, who is second in the conditioners’ win standings at both Philly and Pocono, had a triple, and Åke Svanstedt had a double. Two of Cullipher’s winners were driven by Tetrick, and both of Svanstedt’s successes were handled by Napolitano.
Racing resumes at Philly on Sunday at 12:40 p.m., with sophomore trotting colts and freshman pacing fillies in the Liberty Bell spotlight. Thursday afternoon racing at 12:25 p.m. rejoins the Harrah’s regular schedule this coming week.
(With files from PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)