Joe Bongiorno had an excellent day of competition at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 22, driving five winners, including Benjamin Hanover in the $22,535 Winners Over Handicap Trot as part of Scott Di Domenico's training triple.
In the headliner, Benjamin Hanover won for the second straight week, here in 1:52.4 while 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Full Of Muscles (Trae Porter) with Yall Keep Dreaming (Jonathan Ahle) third. All five of Bongiorno’s winners were on the lead before the half, and Benjamin Hanover, owned by Angela Cornell, grabbed command soon after the :27.2 quarter and went out to middle splits of :55.4 and 1:24.2 en route to his triumph, which bumped his lifetime tally to 38 wins in 80 starts and earnings of $557,015. The six-year-old gelded son of Sebastian K S-By A Neck Hanover returned $5 to win.
Bongiorno's big day had a couple of unusual statistical quirks. When the draw came out, Bongiorno was listed to drive on no horses, but the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, wasn’t going to be at Philly Thursday, so Bongiorno picked up several good drives – including two horses from his own barn that he had listed Tetrick on, but wound up steering himself. And those two horses were victorious, lifting Bongiorno’s winners as a trainer to the 40 mark in 2026 at the southeast Pennsylvania oval. No other trainer at Philly has more. And Joe also did well with those other catch-drives, visiting victory lane three times with them to give him five sulky scores for the day in total.
Ironically, the three winners Bongiorno catch-drove were all for Di Domenico, who thus raised his 2026 Philly total to 40, now sharing the lead with the horseman who piloted his trio of success stories.
Bongiorno and Di Domenico also won the $15,493 conditioned fast-class secondary feature as the six-year-old Tactical Landing-Sheenas Shadow gelding Djimon ($6) matched Benjamin Hanover’s clocking in triumphing by 2-1/2 lengths over Sensational (Jonathan Ahle). Bright Side Up (Simon Allard) finished third. Djimon was one of the two horses who made Bongiorno a driver-trainer winner; he is owned by El Dorado Stables.
Bongiorno's other training-driving winner on the 14-race card was Sevecorey ($5.20). He also steered Boom Chica Boom ($9.40) and Odds On Greenback ($6.60) to victory for Di Domenico.
There were also two sub-features for developing trotters. Trillion Times ($2.40), a son of Tactical Landing-Insurrection Fr, won that group’s $19,014 upper-level event by three lengths over Bricco (Mark Herschberger), also using speedy tactics in a 1:54.1 mile. Simon Allard drove the sophomore colt for trainer Petter Engblom and the owning partnership of Engblom Farm LLC and Kristen Bartlett.
The front end also proved the path to victory for the Bar Hopping-Swan For The Road three-year-old gelding Swan Wayne ($7.80), one of the best in his section at the end of the Pennsylvania fairs season. In Thursday's $16,901 conditioned contest, Swan Wayne won by a length and lowered his mark a tick to 1:57.1 for his co-owners, driver Wayne Long and trainer Joyce Lineweaver.
Aside from the feats of Bongiorno and Di Domenico mentioned above, trainer Joyce Lineweaver and drivers Mark Herschberger and Simon Allard had doubles. Allard has narrowed Tim Tetrick’s leading in the driving dash category to 113-109.
Up-and-coming distaff pacers will be in the spotlight during Friday's 12:25 p.m. card at Philly. There will also be a carryover into the fifth-race Pick 5.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Joe Bongiorno after a previous win)