A special Monday afternoon (Oct. 8) card at Harrah’s Philadelphia featured $200,000 worth of stakes action in John Simpson Sr. events for three-year-old colts and geldings, with horses of both gaits contesting three divisions.
First to the track were the pacers, with Somebeachsomewhere gelding No Easy Day finding the race living up to his name but still prevailing in 1:51.1. Driver David Miller quarter-moved with the winner past early leader Lyons Steel going to the :26.3 opener, then got a rest on the lead to a :56 half. Soon afterwards, Shadow Cat began a long grinding challenge that lasted past the 1:22.4 three-quarters and all the way to the finish, with Lyons Steel also coming up the inside to threaten. No Easy Day held his ground gamely, half a length to the good over Lyons Steel and three-quarters of a length ahead of the resilient Shadow Cat, in winning for trainer Ron Burke and owner Thomas Dillon.
Driver Miller and trainer Burke again teamed up successfully in the second Simpson stakes section, with another altered son of Somebeachsomewhere, Wheels On Fire, who won for the ninth time in 15 seasonal starts for owner W.J. Donovan. Miller put Wheels On Fire behind Canadian invader Talbotcreekwhiskey, who strung the field out with early numbers of :26.4 and :54.1 then battled with first-up Wild Bill to a 1:22 three-quarters. Through the stretch, the main battle came down to Wheels On Fire and Macadoodledoo, a fellow 8-5 choice who went wide from second-over, with the winner getting a neck decision in 1:50.4.
Somebeachsomewhere completed a siring sweep of the Simpson pacing action when gelding Terror Atthe Beach got a nifty steer by driver George Napolitano Jr. to win the third cut in 1:51. Sitting third inside while Winston set fractions of :26.4 and :55 and then joined by first-over favourite Rockapelo down the back, Terror Atthe Beach was able to slip out third-over behind JK Wildfire as the pocket horse collapsed to the 1:23.1 three-quarters, then kept digging in through the lane, just nailing Rockapelo on the line by a nose. JK Wildfire finished third and Winston fourth, both within a length. Trainer Chris Oakes, fresh off making a place in history with Homicide Hunter on Saturday at Lexington, conditions the winner of $110,335 for Chuck Pompey, Howard Taylor and Edwin Gold.
On the trot, Mississippi Storm was the first feature horse to Harrah’s winner's circle, taking a new mark of 1:53.2 while winning in stakes company for the third straight time. The Cantab Hall gelding was limbed most of the :27.2 quarter to gain control for driver Andy McCarthy, strolled to a 57.1 half, shook off outside pressure past the 1:24.2 quarter, then stayed in command against late inside closers to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Lindys Big Bang, a narrow second over Scirocco Rob. Tom Fanning conditions the winner of $171,946 for owner Joseph Smith.
Driver Eric Carlson continued his amazing streak of bringing in long shot winners, especially trotters, when he roared through the stretch with Chucky De Vie as the Charlie De Vie colt took a new mark of 1:55. Carlson worked out a second-over trip from last, tipped wide at head-stretch, and came his last quarter in :28 to win a four-horse photo finish by half a length for trainer Hermann Heitmann and the ownership of Joie De Vie Farm LLC and Paul Nigito.
The third division went to New York Sire Stakes champion Helpisontheway, who engaged in a long and bitter struggle with pacesetter Rich And Miserable before emerging a neck the better in 1:53.1. Tim Tetrick moved the victorious son of Chapter Seven uncovered from mid-pack with a lap to go and reached the leader after he had notched early fractions of :27.1 and :57.1. The battle was on through a pair of :28 quarters the rest of the way, with Helpisontheway going by late to run his 2018 record to 14-8-4-0 and his lifetime bankroll to $522,194 for trainer Linda Toscano and the ownership of the Camelot Stable Inc., The Bay’s Stable LLC and Little E LLC.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)