A sophomore filly named Flawless remained flawless after three 2024 starts, winning the $18,493 featured fillies and mares conditioned pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon in 1:52.
Andrew McCarthy moved past the :28.2 quarter with the sophomore Captaintreacherous filly and saw her pace her last three-quarters in 1:23 flat, posting middle fractions of :56.3 and 1:24.4 over a very quick Philly oval, and then storm home in :27.1 to complete the mile three-quarters of a length over the hard-trying pocket-sitter, Hunting Hula, with Ginger Tree Liz just another length back after moving out and up from late on the backstretch.
Flawless was the Kentucky Commonwealth final winner in 2023 and now has a bankroll of $146,335 for trainer Nancy Takter and Toronto, Ont. based owners and breeders Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband.
Sweet Lexi Lou lowered her mark to 1:51.1, rallying strongly in the last eighth to catch first-over Ginger Tree Belle by a half-length in a $16,438 co-featured pace. Troy Beyer guided the three-year-old Sweet Lou filly, now successful in three of her last five starts, for trainer Chris Freck and owner Anthony Olswfski.
Shrimp And Grits had lost 23 races in a row before turning it around for red-hot trainer Izzy Estrada, with the Shadow Play gelding winning for the eighth time in his last nine starts in 1:52.1. David Miller sent the former $10,273 claimer, now carrying a tag of $27,397, to the front in a $15,069 claiming handicap pace, then held off pocket-sitting principal challenger Twin B Fighter by a neck for Estrada Racing.
Corey Callahan topped the sulky colony with three victories.
This Sunday is “Super Sunday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with a star-studded card of 16 races starting at 12:40 p.m. There are three $100,000 USD Invitationals – the Maxie Lee Memorial for trotters, the Joseph Auger Memorial for pacers and the Betsy Ross for female pacers – along with many of the sport’s “glamour division,” the three-year-old pacing males, gathering for Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action. Last year, conditions were ideal, and several lines were altered in the record books, including Ruthless Hanover’s 1:46.3 world record win; this card has the kind of horses that could do more rewriting of records given good weather. Free Harrah’s Philly programs are available at phha.org.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)