Enough fast-class pacers dropped in for the Sunday, May 31 card at Harrah’s Philadelphia that there could be two $18,056 divisions at the highest conditioned level, which were won by On Accident and Th Colby.
On Accident missed by a length in second last out, but today the second choice Well Said-Maries Z Tam gelding made the most of a pocket trip. He followed favoured pacesetter Captain Crusader A (Corey Callahan), who was pursuing his third straight win, through fractions of :26.4, :55.2 and 1:22.1. On Accident was ready to go when driver Andrew McCarthy gave him his cue at the top of the lane and he went by the leader en route to a 1-1/4-length victory in 1:49.4, which earned him a new mark at age 10 for trainer Timothy Lancaster. Watch Em Win (Tim Tetrick) was third. The winner, co-owned by Lancaster and Tony Casha, now has 35 lifetime wins in 265 starts. He returned $6.40 to win.
After finishing third in that race, Tim Tetrick took the other top-level event in a three-across finish. The reinsman grabbed command early with the Papi Rob Hanover-Fade gelding Th Colby and then let brushing favourite Hunting Zone (Andrew McCarthy) take the front-stepping duties with fractions of :27.2, :55.2 and 1:22.2. Hunting Zone played hard to catch, but the winner found an extra gear late to win by a head in 1:50.1, with closer Sargeant Sonny (Jonathan Ahle) just a neck away from taking it all in third. Ron Burke trains the winner for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Phil Collura, Lawrence Karr and J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby. The four-year-old is now six-for-36 lifetime. The win price was $6.60.
Another pacer produced a 1:49.4 mile on the card – Taranaki ($4.40), a son of Huntsville-Free Fi Girl, who won his second straight start by using two speed moves for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Paul Jessop, who co-owns the five-year-old with Laurie Molnar. Taranaki was sent off as the favourite in the $15,972 conditioned event for horses just below the top fast-class set.
In a $16,667 conditioned contest for developing pacers, the Perfect Sting-Little Miss K sophomore gelding Everlast Sting Deo ($2.40) enjoyed a switch from New Jersey stakes horses, throwing successive :27.1 back panels while on the lead to reduce his mark to 1:51. Tim Tetrick guided the Travis Alexander trainee for Morrison Racing Stables.
Tetrick swept the late Pick 3 on Sunday, and his three-bagger headed the drivers; Simon Allard and Andrew McCarthy succeeded twice. Fourteen different trainers sent out winning horses.
The next pari-mutuel action at Harrah’s Philadelphia will be on “Trottin’ Thursday,” with a 12:25 p.m. first post. There will be a highlight on Tuesday morning during the qualifying races, however: trainer Brett Pelling has entered four two-year-olds, the first babies locally in 2026, and the quartet will learn and compete against each other in the fifth and final qualifier.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)