On a Friday when it looked like the fast-class older set would be grabbing the headlines at Harrah’s Philadelphia, up pops a maiden two-year-old altered trotting son of Muscle Hill-Decadence named My Degenerate, who scorched the five-eighths mile oval in 1:53.1, breaking the divisional track record and just missing the divisional world standard.
My Degenerate had broken stride in two of his last three starts in the Massachusetts program, straightening out to grab second in the $222,222 championship. On Friday, he was all business — racing out to the lead and forcing tucks in a :28 opener, then getting a slight breather to the half in :57.3 before turning on the jets and reaching the three-quarters in 1:25.1 en route to a devastating 13-1/2-length victory.
All three divisional records for trotting freshmen have now been rewritten at Philly this year; My Degenerate’s 1:53.1 reduced Real Cool Sam’s 2019 mark by three-fifths of a second. And it was five years and a day ago, at Dover, when Amigo Volo produced the 1:52.4 world record that My Degenerate just missed.
The talented youngster is trained by Julie Miller and was driven by her husband Andy for Knutsson Trotting Inc., Lindy Farms Of Connecticut, Preferred Equine Marketing Inc., and Andy Miller Stable Inc.
The fastest mile of the day was the 1:49.4 outing turned in by the All Bets Off gelding Moment Is Here for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino and Lombardo / Green Racing.
Tim Tetrick added to his lead atop the local driving win stats by visiting Victory Lane four times.
The racing week closes on Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the 12:40 p.m. card featuring a $13,500 USD handicap pace that figures to see Luc Blais trainee Calicojack Hanover go off as the public’s standardbearer.
(with files from PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)