North America Cup eligible Caviart Camden, the co-fastest two-year-old ever by virtue of his 1:48.3 victory last season, is undefeated after two 2022 starts including a 1:50.4 victory at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon (June 1).
In the $14,400 pacing feature, Caviart Camden got away in the pocket behind Stonebridge Reef in a :28.2 quarter, the slowest of the race, then wound up third, with the rest of the field well back, as Captainryanmichael brushed to the lead in front of the stands and hung up successive :27.4 splits, freezing the timer at :56.1 and 1:24. At the latter station, driver Yannick Gingras gave the victorious Tony Alagna trainee a right-line tug and he immediately got into a high gear, but needed to gain into the :26.4 official last quarter to catch a stubborn Captainryanmichael by 1-1/2 lengths, with Stonebridge Reef another half-length behind in third.
Caviart Camden, a homebred son of Huntsville out of Caviart Christa, is owned by Caviart Farms. He now has five wins and a pair of seconds from a dozen career starts, with earnings topping the $100,000 mark.
In the $14,400 event for trotters, Bee Forever, the regally-bred Muscle Hill-Bee A Magician gelding, may find his four-year-old season is the time to fulfill his promise, as he went to two-for-two on the year with a victory in 1:54.1.
Seventh at the half in a race featuring fractions of :27.4, :57 and 1:25.2, Bee Forever, patiently handled by Dexter Dunn, steadily gained through the last five-sixteenths, trotted to the top in the stretch, then held off 2022 debutant Double Deceiver by two lengths while motoring his own back half in :56.
Bee Forever, who earned the bulk of his $246,908 career bankroll winning the 2020 Valley Victory, is owned by Melvin Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee.
The sire Sweet Lou has been having a great deal of success in local sophomore stakes; on Wednesday, his five-year-old son Fortify made his 2022 bow, and the gelding was ready for a 1:49.3 mile at first asking while winning a $13,000 fast-class pace. Yannick Gingras directed the Nancy Takter trainee through splits of :26.4, :55.1 and 1:22.2, holding off the threat of pocket rocket Whole Lotta Lou by a length while raising his earnings to $458,687 for Diamond Creek Racing and Crossover Racing.
“Trottin’ Thursday” and Friday cards will be held at Harrah’s Philadelphia with the usual 12:25 p.m. starting times, with the week ending with Sunday’s 12:40 p.m. card, which is topped by a $22,500 Winners Over Pace.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)