Before he left Harrah’s Philadelphia after the fifth race to participate in Breeders Crown racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday and Saturday, the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, notched three victories, including both $46,900 divisions of the John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes for three-year-old trotting males.
The faster winner was the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship winner, Pour Mea Double, who went on to the lead at the :28 quarter, put up mid-race splits of :56.4 and 1:24.3 then darted home in :27.2 to complete a 1:53.2 package that left him 6-1/4 lengths ahead of Saverio Hanover, who edged Dandy for second. Though this was only his second win of the campaign, the victorious son of Bar Hopping has 2022 earnings of $278,875 for trainer Lucas Wallin and the partnership of J&T Silva Stables LLC, Peter Kleinhans, Daniel Kraus and Dreamlover AB.
Tetrtick’s other stakes success came with the Father Patrick gelding Emeralds Legacy, who also used engine tactics in posting fractions of :28.3, :58.1, 1:27.1 and 1:55.2 for his eighth win of this campaign after being unraced at two. The fast three-year-old, 3-1/2 lengths ahead of Torrone at the wire, is trained by Scott Betts for Timothy Betts, Nicholas Catalano, Keith Pippi and Shanamphilankilou Inc.
Fans of the sharp pacer Pat McGarry A got a nice 9-1 return if they backed the pacer as he won the $22,500 fast-class handicap pace in 1:50.4, with he and driver Corey Callahan posting splits of :26.4, :55.4 and 1:23.2 in withstanding a long first-over bid by Sonny Weaver N, a 25-1 proposition, by 1-1/2 lengths. Ilikemebettor A, a recent import from Down Under who had been backed down to 1-5 off three strong North American starts, had the outside post eight, had too many leavers inside him and couldn’t make much of an impact off cover. Pat McGarry A won his fifth race in his last seven starts (in the other two, he was uncovered while pacing his own third quarter in :26.2 and :25.4) for trainer Jennifer Bongiorno (winner of two of the last three UTR titles here) and M T Stables Ontario Inc.
Corey Callahan was the big winner among the drivers at Philly on Friday, getting home first five times.
The Sunday at 12:40 p.m. card at Harrah’s Philly will contain the last two of the Simpson Stakes series for 2022, both for three-year-old fillies and both raced in two divisions. In addition, there will be carryovers for two multi-race bets: the Pick 4 in Races 1-4 will bring with it a carryover of $2,756 while the Pick 5 (Races 5-9) brings $1,023 in carryover money with it.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)