A number of harness racing’s stars competed in Tuesday morning’s qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia including the freakishly fast Googoo Gaagaa and We Will See.
Googoo Gaagaa, who was fifth and race-timed in 1:58.3 in last week’s first qualifier of the season, stepped up his speed this morning when he toured the oval in 1:55.2 for driver Corey Callahan. The four-year-old son of Cams Rocket-Koras Trotter used a final half of :56.1 and a closing quarter of :28.3 to rally to the three-length decision for owner/breeder/trainer Richard Hans. The 15-time winner, who captured a pair of $500,000 races last season – the Earl Beal, Jr. Memorial and the Colonial, has stashed away more than $660,000 to date.
We Will See powered to a 1:53.4 triumph in his second qualifier of the season for the tandem of driver Ron Pierce and trainer Cosmo De Pinto. The six-year-old son of Western Hanover-Aberdakara, who hasn’t raced since last December, drew clear to win by 13 lengths thanks in part to a final quarter paced in :28.2. Shannon De Pinto, Earl Smith and the J And T Silva Stables LLC share ownership on the 21-time winner who boasts career earnings in excess of $2.5 million.
Romantic Moment, who made break and finished up the track in her first qualifier of the season, was a 1:54.4 winner for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jimmy Takter. The four-year-old daughter of American Ideal-Time N Again led the field through fractions of :28, :56.2 and 1:25.4 before using a :29-second closing panel to secure the win by 16-3/4 lengths. The millionairess, who is owned by Brittany Farms of Versailles, KY, was returning to the scene of her biggest career victory – the 2012 edition of the $350,000 Valley Forge.
The Campbell brothers – trainer Jim and driver John – joined forces to win with a pair of impressive-looking sophomores.
Hail The Taxi, the winner of last year’s $119,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard Pace and the runner-up in last year’s $309,050 Woodrow Wilson, won his qualifier in 1:55.3. It was the first charted line of the season for the son of Art Major-Taxi Hanover. Owned by Fashion Farms LLC of New Hope, PA, the pacer went 2-for-8 in his rookie season and banked more than $215,000.
Stablemate Fashion Athena captured her qualifier for Team Campbell in 1:57.3. The daughter of Broadway Hall-Athena Hanover was making her first appearance since breaking and finishing eighth in last October’s Breeders Crown Two-Year-Old Filly Trot. She went 5-for-11 last season and earned more than $213,000 thanks in part to her success in the PASS and a Grand Circuit score in a $98,100 division of the International Stallion Stake at The Red Mile. The homebred is also owned by Fashion Farms LLC of New Hope, PA.