Tim Tetrick continued his amazing driving form over the Harrah’s Philadelphia oval on the Friday afternoon card, ringing up another six winners to give him 38 during the last seven local appearances. But the feature of the day escaped him -- it was taken by the team of Hall of Famer David Miller and trainer Bob Cleary, who also debuted a promising import from Great Britain.
The top purse of the day was a $17,000 contest for distaff pacers, which went to the Sweet Lou sophomore miss Sweet Lucy Lou in 1:52.4. Sweet Lucy Lou worked out a pocket trip behind Jive Dancing A, then just caught that one by a nose in 1:52.4 to break a string of four straight seconds while raising her 2019 earnings to $128,588 for Royal Wire Products Inc.
In the last race of the day, Miller and Cleary reunited with a sizable portion of harness racing fans from Belfast, Ireland, as the Kikikolt pacing mare Blackwell Ruby UK, who last raced for a purse of $564, showed no hesitation in stepping up to a $14,000 contest, going down the road in 1:55 for owner Gavin Murdock, who like trainer Cleary comes from Ireland.
Otherwise, the spotlight was again on Tetrick, like Miller a Hall of Fame electee, who won five of his six-pack of Friday triumphs on the front end. The one who came from behind was the Yankee Glide sophomore gelding Yankees Beast, who worked out a second-over trip, swung wide to stretch command, then held off the late rush of Smokee Mirrors by a neck in 1:57.2 for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owner Anna Lorentzon.
Yankee Beast triumphed in a $16,000 trot; a companion race in that class for pacing distaffs also was won by Tetrick, with the Sportswriter sophomore filly Windsong Parisian. Her lines didn’t show her being closer than five lengths off the front-stepper at the quarter, but was sent right to the lead and took a new mark of 1:53.3. Trainer Paul Stafford, who had three wins on the afternoon, conditions the winner for owner Patricia Ceraso.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)