The 13-year-old Meladys Monet went over the $2 million mark in career earnings with a 1:53.2 victory in the $22,500 handicap trot feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon (May 12).
The track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, put the Revenue S gelding on the lead early and then was content to yield to Wild And Crazy Guy, coming off four straight victories at Yonkers, and sit in the pocket behind fractions of :27.2, :56 and 1:24.2. As they turned for home, Tetrick showed Meladys Monet space along the inside, and the graybeard knew exactly what to do for the 84th time in his career, winning by three-quarters of a length over closing Vainqueur R P No.
Owner Melady Enterprises LLC has enjoyed the ride with Meladys Monet since 2013, the first of nine straight years he earned $100,000 or more going into his campaign. His trainer seems to have a special talent working with horses who race seemingly forever – Herman Heitmann, who has trained this horse since 2018, was also the horseman who in 2008 was conditioning a four-year-old gelding named Foiled Again when he joined the Burke Brigade.
Even though the Guccio mare Skyway Bebop had 19 career victories going into the $15,300 “non-winners of eight races” co-feature, she was still eligible via the also eligible “non-winners of $100,000 lifetime” condition. Her foes will be glad to see that Skyway Bebop broke six figures in career earnings with a convincing score in 1:53, equalling the mark she set last week. Tony Morgan guided the developing mare to her fifth straight victory, and seventh in her last eight starts. Since her acquisition in late February, trainer Tim Crissman and owner Niss Allen Inc. have seen her bring in $57,800 of her career $103,942 total.
Brian Sears doesn’t come to Harrah’s Philly very often, but on Thursday he came for a good purpose, guiding the Chapter Seven sophomore gelding Cool Papa Bell to a lifetime-best 1:53 victory, closing into a :27.4 last quarter while looking quite good. The Jim Campbell trainee, owned by Runthetable Stables, started his career with three New York Sire Stakes wins and later was competitive in top company, so thoughts of the first Saturday in August could be in the cards.
There were six more miles in 1:55 or less on Thursday’s all-trotting 14-race card.
Friday’s 12:25 p.m. card will be highlighted by a $14,400 pace for females, with Camouflage Money and Tuggin On My Heart expected to draw the majority of the wagering attention. There will also be $5,000 guaranteed pools for the Pick-4 wagers beginning with races one and 10, in association with the USTA's Strategic Wagering Plan. On Sunday, 2019 Little Brown Jug winner Southwind Ozzi, still going strong at the age of six, bids for his fourth straight triumph in a $22,500 handicap pace. Program pages are available on the PHHA website.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)