Last year's upset Breeders Crown winner Sandbetweenmytoes made his first racetrack appearance of 2021 during a qualifier at Harrah’s Philadelphia Tuesday, and interestingly, he finished in the same position as in his last race – first – but he finished on the opposite side of the track – against the inside, as opposed to his dramatic wide charge to knock off U.S. Horse of the Year Tall Dark Stranger at Harrah's Hoosier Park.
The four-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding tucked in third early in a field of six for driver Scott Zeron and sat behind slow fractions of :29.3 and :59.2. Zeron was on the move down the backstretch with a :27.4 burst to clear to the lead before the 1:27.4 three-quarters, and the star pacer tacked on another :27.4 coming home to be well-clear in 1:55.3 for trainer Jim Campbell and Fashion Farms LLC, who are undoubtedly looking forward to the battles in the older ranks with their pacer.
Campbell had a training triple during the morning session, as did Julie Miller, in her case teaming with driver Tyler Miller for her barn’s three successes. Fastest mile of the day came from one of trainer/driver Eddie Dennis’s two winners, the Sweet Lou sophomore colt Hellabalou, who went wire-to-wire in 1:54.2, with back fractions of :55.2 - :27.2 posted by the 1:53 winner of a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at two.
FINISHING LINES: Video of qualifiers for both Philly and Pocono will be posted afterwards on the PHHA website this year, in order that “deep” handicappers may bring that factor into their reasoning.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philly)