The crowd settled on the right favourite in a well-matched, hard-to-handicap $18,000 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, as the Yankee Glide gelding Max held off a late charge by the mare Kenziesky Hanover by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.3.
Yannick Gingras hustled the winner away quickly and forced Kenziesky Hanover to tuck behind him, then yielded to the $900,000 winner Top Flight Angel past a :27.3 quarter. Top Flight Angel guided the field to the half in :57, then increased the tempo to 1:25.2 at the three-quarters, with Cruising In Style coming first-over and Kenziesky Hanover slipping out behind that one’s cover.
Through the stretch Max slipped up the inside and Kenziesky Hanover tipped wide, with both widely-separated foes giving their all, but Max took the advantage mid-lane and kept it to the wire. The Ron Burke trainee is owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Frank Baldachino.
The heavily favoured Hill Of A Horse looked to be in good position nearing the far turn of the $17,000 co-featured trot, advancing second-over behind cover, but it certainly didn’t hurt him when the leader, third-over, and fourth-over all made breaks on the final curve.
The victorious altered son of Muscle Hill overhauled his cover, Mystical Wynn, by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:55.2, posting his tenth lifetime win in but 28 starts for driver Marcus Miller, trainer/father Erv Miller and Andray Farms.
Drivers Gingras and George Napolitano Jr. each won three times during the Thursday afternoon action.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)