Petal To The Metal and trainer-driver Stacy Chiodo watched many contenders expend much energy in battling for command, then swung three-wide late on the far turn and went by everybody en route to a 1:55.3 victory in the featured $17,000 distaff conditioned pace on Wednesday (April 21) at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The five-year-old daughter of Art Official was in fact the sixth different leader in the race (in a field of seven), but she was the leader when it counted most, winning by a length over race favourite Lifetime Trust, who edged Never Back Down for third. Chiodo Racing LLC owns come-from-behind specialist Petal To The Metal.
Driver Marcus Miller, the day after he brought home $39.60 and $60.80 winners and missed a head with a 43-1 shot at Pocono, got the 2018 local “longshot season” off to a flying start in the day’s second race, rallying Invested In Lindy from just off a contested pace to post a head win while lighting up the tote board with a $113.20 payoff for a $2 win ticket. The victory was one of two on the day for Miller, who is currently sixth in the driving standings at The Meadowlands, fifth at Pocono, and tied for third locally three days into the meet.
Invested In Lindy’s win came in a $16,000 co-feature for non-winners of five races and the trotter stopped the timer of 1:58.1 for trainer Marc Mosher and owners Edward Hall and James Hall Jr. There was a companion non-winners of five event for pacers, and it went to Machiavelli, the full brother to 1:46.4 pacer Dr J Hanover, who took a new mark of 1:52.1 for trainer Gareth Dowse and co-owners Glenn Golter and Abraham Basen.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)