Of the four winners Hall of Famer David Miller drove on the Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 2) card at Harrah’s Philadelphia, three of them were victorious in $30,000 divisions of the John Simpson Memorial for three-year-olds. Of those three, two were daughters of Triumphant Caviar trained by Chris Beaver.
First up was Back Splash, who rallied from the pocket to go by Stella Jane by a length while equaling her lifetime best of 1:54 for the ownership of Beaver, Donald Robinson, Steven Zeehandelar and R.B.H. Ventures Inc.
Beaver and Zeehandelar are also the owners of Pure Chance, who followed up on a win at Delaware, Ohio, by taking a new mark of 1:54.1 in another Simpson cut. She had the largest margin of victory in a stakes all day, crossing the wire 2-3/4 lengths ahead of American Kronos after tailing that one from the pocket most of the way.
Both of the Beaver trainees achieved earnings milestones: Back Splash went over $100,000 for her career bankroll, while Pure Chance has now surpassed $250,000 in earnings.
The third Simpson trot winner was Sweet Chapter, a starter in the Hambletonian Oaks final, who was sent to the lead in front of the stands by driver George Brennan and had a 1-1/4 length advantage over Hanovers Best at the end of a 1:54.2 mile, which gave the daughter of Chapter Seven a new speed badge. Blake MacIntosh trains the winner, now a winner of over $200,000, and co-owns her with Hutt Racing Stable and Mortgage Boys Stable.
The other stakes winner for driver David Miller was the pacer Trillions Hanover, who has now won four stakes starts in a row after rallying from well back to defeat Philly Hanover by a half length in 1:52. Tom Fanning trains the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, who has 10 career wins and $246,905 in earnings for VIP Internet Stable LLC, Falcon Racing LLC and Paul Lang.
Somebeachsomewhere was also the sire of the lone stakes-winning filly who was not the crowd favourite, Another Beach Day, who was uncovered for much of the trip and still was able to reel in So Awesome by 1-1/2 lengths for her fastest win time ever, 1:52.3. Yannick Gingras guided the Ron Burke trainee for owners Michael Hall, CTC Stable, Howard Taylor and Let It Ride Stables Inc.
The stakes day opened with the A Rocknroll Dance filly Rockn Philly being on top of her game, making an early move to command and withstanding the inside rally of JK American Beauty to win by a neck in 1:52.1. Victor Kirby drove the winner of $282,004 for trainer Jim King Jr. and the ownership of Tim Tetrick LLC and Jo Ann Looney-King.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)