Horses continuing to prepare for the upcoming Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and other states’ programs went big miles in qualifying action Tuesday morning (April 30) at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
A couple of older performers also found their way into the spotlight.
Reigning Deo, the New York Sire Stakes’ two-year-old pacing colt champion last season, added a 1:54.1 win on the engine in his preparation for 2019. The Rock N Roll Heaven colt stepped home in :56 for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling.
Sophomore Captaintreacherous colt Seafarer, who is a maiden, won on the front end for driver Marcus Miller and trainer/father Erv. He paced successive :28 back quarters in a 1:55.4 mile. The performance followed a 1:52.4 qualifier at South Orlando Training Center. The next two finishers are also interesting – second was Captain Panko, the Pennsylvania Stallion Series divisional champ last season, and third was the royally-bred Stienams Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Stienams Place), who was unraced at two. Stienams Beach paced his own back half in :54.4.
Sophomore Donato Hanover filly American Kronos, who was forced to face boys because ‘Team Orange Crush’ had another filly in the qualifying restricted to that group, came out of the pocket to easily down males in 1:56.1. Julie Miller trains and Andy Miller drove the promising miss, who was 5-for-7 at two and had broken stride in the stretch in her two losses.
Among the more seasoned performers that were victorious during the session was the four-year-old A Rocknroll Dance gelding Larry Karr. The bay is co-owned by his namesake and was a winner of five of his last seven starts before having been given time off. He returned Tuesday and posted the fastest winning time of the day (1:53.4) for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ron Burke.
Billy Badger N, who had raced in the Levy series, paced his own back fractions in :55.2 - :27.2 to circle a field of seven in 1:55.4. The Art Major gelding got the job done for driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Chris Ryder.
(With files from PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)