A rare Sunday afternoon feature trot highlighted the program at Harrah’s Philadelphia, a track known for its “Trottin’ Thursdays” – but since this coming Thursday is Thanksgiving and a dark day, the top diamondgaiters competed in a $22,535 Winners Over on this card.
The feature winner was the well-travelled Muscle Hill-Seviyorum gelding Little Expensive for Team Miller. He went to the lead in a :27.3 quarter for driver Tyler Miller, yielded to the favourite before the half in :56.3, and had a nice journey in the golden chair through three-quarters in 1:24.3. Little Expensive hen came up the inside to take over and held off the fast-closing Lefties Righties (Corey Callahan) by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:53.1. Kinnder Thinktwice (Ridge Warren) finished third.
Tyler’s mother, Julie, trains Little Expensive, who also has won at Cumberland Run, Oak Grove, The Red Mile, and The Meadowlands in 2025. Andy Miller Stable Inc. co-owns the five-year-old gelding, now a 17-time winner from 58 career outings, with Jean Goehlen and VIP Internet Stable LLC. The winner paid $5.20.
The richest pace on the card offered a $16,901 bounty, and it was taken by the Control The Moment-Shine N Shimmer three-year-old gelding Shining Moment ($7.40) in 1:52.4. Shining Moment had not shown much gate speed lately and was saddled with post eight, but driver Mark Herschberger thought the front-end was the best place for him, and he was proven correct – despite being five-wide into the fist turn, three-wide to the 3/16th pole, and two-wide to the three-eighths, the pacer finally made the top and did not relinquish his lead when favoured Touchback (Tim Tetrick) came at him late, prevailing by a neck for trainer Bill “Moon” Mullin and owner Howard Taylor. Floor It Freddie (Stacy Chiodo) was third.
Fast-class pacers produced a rare 1:50 mile in late November in a $15,493 conditioned contest as Belmont Royale N ($6.60), an altered eight-year-old son of Betterthancheddar-Royal Spin, took the lead on a backstretch move then stayed 1-1/4 lengths ahead of chalk Ignatius N (Jonathan Ahle) in 1:50. Jk Black Gold (Simon Allard) completed the ticket. Herschberger also had the winning steer behind this horse, now a winner of two of his last three for trainer Nifty Norman, whose Enzed Racing Stable Inc. shares ownership with Archie McNeil and Bill O’Donnell.
Allard and meet leader Tetrick both had three winners on the day and eight for the three-day week at Philly.
Harrah’s Philadelphia will now be dark for Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday so that all of the extended Philly family can enjoy their holiday. Racing at Philly will resume on Sunday, Nov. 30 (to be drawn on Tuesday), with the $12,500 USD championship of the popular series for $10,000 claiming pacers featured on the card. There will be a carryover into the fifth-race Pick-5 wager.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Little Expensive winning on July 15)