The first qualifying races of the 2025 season were held at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday, April 4, over a track rated "good" with a one-second variant.
The very first race of the year saw the Captaintreacherous colt Captain Fear come home in :56 to hold off Meltdown Monte by a nose in 1:55.4 for driver Mark Herschberger and trainer Tom Fanning. That time looked like it might stand up as the standard for the day over the off going, but later the “season’s record” was lowered a tick by the Betting Line gelding Bettor Not Talk, who paced in 1:49.1 here last year and on Friday came identical back halves of :28 for trainer Scott DiDomenico and driver Tim Tetrick, four-time defending dashwinning champion who had a quadruple during the morning session.
Father/trainer Chris Ryder and son/driver Patrick combined on a trio of victories. Included in this triple were a pair of three-year-olds: the Bettors Wish filly Bytheliteofthemoon, a stakes winner in Kentucky at two and here coming home in :56.2 from the two-hole to win in 1:56.3; and Stargaze, a daughter of Papi Rob Hanover who paced in 1:57.3 — home in :28.1 from the pocket — in his first charted line.
The third winner for Team Ryder was T H Tyson, a Captain Crunch gelding who was a chequegetter in the 2023 Governor’s Cup Final but then saw his three-year-old action limited to a pair of starts. T H Tyson looked like he was trying to make up for last time, moving to the lead before the half and then motoring home in :27.3 to complete a 1:57.1 mile in his first racetrack appearance in exactly 11 months.
The Stay Hungry mare Hers Hungry, a late-bloomer who was a multiple winner in the Kentucky program last year at four, overcame a first-over journey to win in 1:56.4 for driver Jeff Dauplaise and trainer Travis Kolaczynski.
There will be another set of Philly qualifiers on the track’s regular qualifying day of Tuesday, April 8, with declarations due by 12 p.m. Monday, April 7. This Tuesday will also be the date of the first pari-mutuel draw of the season at the southeast Pennsylvania oval (box closes at 9 a.m.), with the first purse card to be held on Friday, April 11 with a 6:30 p.m. first post time.
After opening night, Harrah’s will race a schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m., with two exceptions: on Easter Sunday (April 20), when the track will be dark, and on Saturday, May 3 — Kentucky Derby Day — when an extra card starting at noon will be added.
Among the highlights on the 2025 local season will be “Super Sunday,” May 25, when Philly will host its traditional three $100,000 USD Invitationals, along with a preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old pacing colts, and Friday, Sept. 5, which will feature the $1.4 million USD Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for two-year-olds.
Harrah's Philadelphia draw schedule reminder
Horsepeople should be advised of the following draw schedule:
- Draw on Tuesday for racing on Friday
- Draw on Wednesday for racing on Sunday
- Draw on Thursday for racing on Wednesday
- Draw on Friday for racing on Thursday
The box closes at 9:00 a.m. all mornings.
Qualifiers will be held on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 a.m., with entries accepted on Sunday mornings until 11:00 a.m.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)