Skyway Bebop and Bang Bang Boinga were the winners of the twin $15,300 trotting features during the Thursday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
Skyway Bebop had the faster victory, with the Guccio mare recording her fifth win in her last six starts with a 1:55.1. Tony Morgan sent the Tim Crissman trainee right to the lead, then weathered a spirited attack from the first-over Big Bad Swan in a good stretch duel, with Skyway Bebop proving a head more photogenic for Niss Allen Inc.
The other co-feature went to the Explosive Matter gelding Bang Bang Boinga, who put up a loud “bang-bang”/”boom-boom” stretch battle with Boom Boom Bay (also by Explosive Matter) before holding that one off by a neck in 1:56.1, the clocking just a fifth off his lifetime best which he has turned in at three, four, and now five. Todd McCarthy guided the wire-to-wire winner for trainer Joseph Poliseno and owner Ellie Sarama.
The Donato Hanover gelding Lean Hanover handled another step up in class with aplomb, going to the front and gradually drawing clear to take his third straight in 1:53.4, a fifth off his lifetime fastest clocking. Todd McCarthy also succeeded in this $13,000 fast-class feature, with the veteran trotter raising his earnings to $594,252 for trainer Linda Toscano and the ownership of P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc and Karen Carroll.
Todd McCarthy paired these two feature wins with two other tallies in overnight races, and now he is only one behind his brother Andrew, 18-17, for second place among drivers after ten local cards in 2022. Tim Tetrick had three victories on the day to increase his leading total to 25.
A Kat Named Jody came home strongly to post a $60.20 upset – only the second win for the five-year-old in 55 career starts. But if you bet $2 to win on him in each of those starts, you’d have a “career profit” of 67% on him – he first won on October 29 of last year and paid $123.80, and here, six months minus one day later, he added the $60.20 payoff.
Sunday’s feature at Harrah’s will be a $22,500 handicap distaff pace, with Majorca N, undefeated after four North American starts, assigned the outside in the field of six. After the 12:40 card Sunday, Harrah’s will be dark on Wednesday for the last time in the early part of the year, and there is a special Kentucky Derby Day card live at 12:40 on May 7.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)