Canadian-campaigned Prince Hal Hanover and Twisted Destiny, two Pennsylvania-sired sophomore colts who have been racing against Louprint and the very best of the state’s pacing “glamour division” since May, are still going strong in November, winning divisions of their Liberty Bell Stakes on Friday, Nov. 7 at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a chilly afternoon with a strong stretch headwind.
The Captaintreacherous-Percy Bluechip colt Prince Hal Hanover added to his million-dollar sophomore campaign when he took the lead in front of the stands in his $42,254 split, then powered home in :27 into the brisk headwind to complete a 1:51.4 success, open lengths ahead. Todd McCarthy had the steer for trainer Dr. Ian Moore and the Prince Hal Hanover Stable of Cambridge, Ont. Prince Hal Hanover improved his seasonal record to 8-5-2 in 19 starts as he topped Lous Starr (Corey Baden) and Makes Sense (Tim Tetrick) by 3-1/2 lengths.
Twisted Destiny had the fastest clocking of the three splits for the division, winning in 1:51.1 for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Chris Ryder and owners Let It Ride Stables, Alberg Racing, Enviro Stables and Jesmeral Stable. The Bettors Wish-Tug River Princess colt cleared to command soon past the quarter, then came home in :55.2 to withstand a resilient TH Colby (Tim Tetrick) by a half a length, with Inflation Proof (Simon Allard) following behind in third. Now seven-for-17 on the year, Twisted Destiny lifted his annual income to $554,631.
The third winner in this group, the Papi Rob Hanover-Kiss Dont Bite colt Beach Club Monty, seems to be in career form right about now, making every pole a winning one in a 1:52.4 triumph, 1-3/4 lengths ahead of a strong-closing Captain Luffy (Tim Tetrick), with Gold Glove Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) third. Jack Pelling drove the winning three-year-old for his father, trainer Brett Pelling, and the partnership of South Merrick Stables and Andrew Berg. Beach Club Monty went over the $100,000 mark in seasonal earnings with his fifth win in a dozen starts.
There were also two splits of the Liberty Bell Stakes for sophomore trotting males. Both winners won easily, as befits a pair of 1-5 shots: Lefties Righties was the quicker in 1:54, the Greenshoe-Swizzle Sticks gelding triumphing for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing, while Dexter Dunn added a trotting stakes win to his aforementioned pacing triumph as the pilot of the Bar Hopping-Chez Lucie gelding Cheers Hanover, who came home in :27.4 to finish the mile in 1:55 for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, James Simpson and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby. Both trotters have earned more than $200,000 on the year.
A special tip of the gray and yellow cap should go out to Cheers Hanover’s trainer, Ron Burke: the day before, Burke had surpassed his own single-season money earning record as a trainer, ending that day with his barn having amassed $28.5 million USD – with 55 days of racing left in the year. Burke had established the old mark in 2014; not out of question is his one-year record of 1,156 wins set in 2023, as he had 988 going into Friday.
The action-packed Philly card also included the first preliminary round of a series for $10,000 USD claimers put together by Racing Secretary Rob Pennington and his crew; there will be three prelim rounds at $8,000 USD a division leading up to a $12,500 USD championship on Nov. 30, and claiming is allowed. In fact, there were two horses claimed out of the first round, and both were winners: Rose Run Zeke (the fastest at 1:53.1) and Allegiance (1:55.3). Also winning their first prelims were Kootenay Santanna (1:54.2), Stretch The Line (1:54.1) and Olive And A Twist (1:54.4).
Meet leader Tim Tetrick drove the two last-named series winners, and he combined them with his stakes win and an overnight triumph to be top driver on the day with four victories.
Racing at Philly returns at 12:40 p.m. on Sunday, with Tonto Returns returning to seek his third straight win in the featured pace.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Prince Hal Hanover winning on Nov. 7)