Following Foiled Again nearly the entire mile, Philos Hanover ($17.60) prevailed in Sunday's Open Handicap Pace at Harrah's Chester Casino and Racetrack, using a late turn of speed to cap a 1:51 performance.
After clearing Total Truth (Tim Tetrick) and Three Of Spades (Jonathan Roberts) on the first turn with Philos Hanover, Cat Manzi yielded the lead to Foiled Again (Yannick Gingras) just past an initial quarter of :26.3, tracking the 9-5 favourite through a relatively soft middle half.
"Foiled Again was the horse I had to beat, and he only faced mild pressure, so I knew I had a good chance," said Manzi of his strategy aboard Philos Hanover.
After a :55.4 front half, Foiled Again faced a mild first-over challenge from 58-1 longshot Brokaw, and later had to contend with a three-wide move from Arts Ragin Jet (Tony Morgan), with Philos Hanover patiently drafting Foiled Again's every step. After reaching the three-quarters in 1:23.3, Brokaw began to stall, allowing Manzi to vacate the pocket with Philos Hanover inside the final sixteenth.
"As long as I had a chance to get to the right side, I wanted to do that," continued Manzi. "He can go up the open stretch, but I happened to have room to get to the outside. He likes to bear out, so I didn't want to go in."
Foiled Again was beaten by half a length, yet held second from Total Truth.
The five-year-old Cams Card Shark stud scored his eleventh seasonal win for owner John Cancelliere and trainer Joe Poliseno.
Manzi concluded, "He's handy, he has great gate speed, and he's a pleasure to drive."
Live racing at Harrah's Chester will take place Sunday through Wednesday inclusive, with first post daily at 12:15 p.m. eastern time.
(Harrah’s Chester)