Former O'Brien Award winner Gaines Hanover got a nice tow-up from second-over in the $20,833 Winners Over Handicap Trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, then tipped wide with an eighth to go and overpowered the field late to win in 1:53.4.
Khaosan Road, winner of four straight and the favourite, left sharply from the outside post eight and reached the quarter in :26.3, but that one yielded to the brusher Chake in front of the stands. Chake posted mid-splits of :56 and 1:24.3, to the latter station being pressured by first-over Baroness Hill. The last named could not sustain her bid, and it was at that point that Pat Lachance tipped Gaines Hanover wide and the four-year-old Cantab Hall gelding finished out strongly to take a two-length decision over Chake. Lachance also trains the career winner of $867,357 for Gestion J Y Blais Inc. of Montreal, Que.
In the fast-class pace, worth $19,444, the eight-year-old Betterthancheddar gelding Agedchedar Hanover found himself last-over mid-backstretch, but driver Ridge Warren tipped him wide at that point. The horse went up to a furious gear, blindswitching horses and making up ground while wide all the way to the wire, where he caught leader Pat McGarry by half a length in 1:51.1, with the five cheque-getters separated by only 1-1/4 lengths. The winner of three of his last four is trained by Jake Leamon for Florida-based owner Dona McDonald.
A $18,750 pace for developing horses carried the condition “fillies and mares preferred,” but it was the lone male competitor, the Henry Hill gelding Ishotthesheriff GB, who got the biggest cheque after a 1:53.1 mile. Ishotthesheriff GB vacated the pocket late on the far turn and paced away to win by 2-3/4 lengths over Seeuonotherisde for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Robert Cleary, the latter co-owner with Howard Taylor, David Kryway and Rich Lombardo Racing.
Driving triples were posted by Andrew McCarthy (all for trainer Robert Cleary), George Napolitano Jr. (all for meet-leading trainer Dean Eckley), and Tim Tetrick (each for a different trainer). Tetrick has a five-win lead over Napolitano for the meet, 149-144, and the UDR chase is just as close, with Tetrick (.370) and Napolitano (.364) joined by David Miller (.357).
The racing week at Harrah’s Philly closes out on Sunday with a 12:40 p.m. card. Philly will race its normal fall schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. this coming week, then will be dark for live racing on U.S. Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, resuming on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 12:40 p.m.
(With files from PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia; Photo of Gaines Hanover from a previous win at Woodbine Mohawk Park)