Itsonlymoneyhoney provided plenty of heat on a cold Friday afternoon (Dec. 18) with a 1:55.4 lifetime best performance in the $11,200 featured trot at Harrah's Philadelphia.
The recent import from Iowa — via Harrah's Hoosier Park and Yonkers Raceway — endured a first-over journey and proved more than equal to the task, covering his own back half in :56.4 for driver Andy McCarthy and defeating favourite Father Dunn by 4-3/4 lengths. The Rob Harmon-trained Itsonlymoneyhoney, a sophomore son of Banker Volo owned by Harmon Racing Stable LLC, Lawrence Kittenplan and Winners Circle Racing LLC, won his second straight race and his 12th from 34 lifetime starts.
In the pacing section feature, the four-year-old Rockin Image gelding Rockin Medicine won for the first time in over two years, setting the pace and then withstanding a long first-over bid from Surfer Beach by a neck in 1:53.4. Marcus Miller drove the winner for trainer Erv Miller and the partnership of Red Barn Stable and Louis Willinger.
The $10,000 fast-class pace saw Shnitzledosomethin raise his lifetime earnings to $784,833 with a nice engine victory in 1:51.1 for Todd McCarthy. The son of Fred And Ginger made his second start since a short layoff a winning one for trainer Dylan Davis and the partnership of Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold, Abraham Basen and Richard Lombardo.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)