The Muscle Hill-Lovely Lindy gelding Te Amo Lindy, aiming for his first win since September, brought his A-game with him down from Pocono Downs to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Dec. 4, trotting to a 1:54.2 victory in the $18,750 conditioned feature for improving horses.
Te Amo Lindy, the 4-5 second choice, was three-wide early for George Napolitano Jr., then two-wide to get by 3-5 favourite The Brodster (Tim Tetrick) before the quarter in :27.2. After a :57.2 half, the leader went into a higher gear, but The Brodster pulled the pocket before the 1:25.4 three-quarters and got up to even terms with the pacesetter. In the stretch, though, it was Te Amo Lindy who trotted right on, winning by 4-3/4 lengths for trainer Jill Roland, who also owns the speedy diamondgaiter. Abraham Hanover (Stacy Chiodo) was well back in third.
Te Amo Lindy, who was making his first visit to Philly, improved his seasonal tally to three-for-14 and recorded his fifth career victory in 31 starts. The five-year-old paid $3.80 to win.
Meet leader Tim Tetrick arrived mid-card for five drives and won three of them, including with the five-year-old Sebastian K S-By A Neck Hanover gelding Benjamin Hanover in 1:55.1 in the $18,056 fast-class conditioned handicap on the “Trottin’ Thursday” program. Benjamin Hanover sat in the pocket behind pacesetter Super Duper Cooper (Simon Allard), then challenged that rival past three-quarters and got the decision by 1-1/2 lengths for his third straight victory, his ninth win in eighteen seasonal starts, and his 28th triumph in 50 lifetime outings. Honolulu Hanover (George Napolitano Jr.) finished third. Scott Di Domenico conditions Benjamin Hanover for owner Angela Cornell. The win price was $2.20.
Di Domenico also clicked with Tetrick for an earlier victory with Saint K ($2.80) and later added a third victory on the 14-race card with Im Out ($3), driven by Simon Allard. The conditioner now has 50 wins at Philly this season and is third in the standings, one tally back of second-placed Jeff Cullipher.
The Father Patrick-Final Countdown gelding Menotti ($8) had hit the board in 31 of 69 career starts going into one of two $16,667 non-winners-of-three trots on the card. But he had only won once, and, to boot, upon coming from Pocono he had to elevate from the non-winners-of-two level as Philly does not write that class. But Menotti sat in the two-hole behind favourite Tracks Of My Tears (Jackie Ingrassia), then trotted to the fore for a 1:57.4 tally despite the class hike, winning by 2-1/4 lengths. Kickem Jenny George (Ridge Warren) completed the ticket. George Napolitano Jr., who won three times on the day, guided the four-year-old winner for trainer-owner Bruce Schadel.
In the other division of the sub-feature for up-and-coming trotters, the Swan In A Million-Fortuona K sophomore filly Melissa P ($3.40) was quarter-moved by driver-trainer Vinnie Ginsburg, who then let her trot off down in the backstretch and around the turn. It’s a good thing the winner opened such a huge margin, because Yardbird (Patrick Ryder), away slowly, was making up ground with every stride in the final quarter. But Melissa P, owned by Jaypaul Hoover, had enough to prevail by 1-1/4 lengths, following up on a career-best 1:57 in New Jersey in her last start with a 1:58.2 triumph here to improve to five-for-19 lifetime. Dogfish Hanover (Anthony Napolitano) finished third.
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philly on Friday at 12:25 p.m., with a $12,000 USD feature trot for developing diagonally gaited horses complemented by an $11,000 USD fast-class handicap pace for the distaff set.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)