Three-year-old pacing filly Found found herself in the Harrah’s Philadelphia winner's circle for the third time in as many 2025 starts, capturing the $16,438 featured pace for developing distaffs in 1:52.2.
Driver Jack Pelling, in the sulky for trainer/father Brett and Diamond Creek Racing, kept the fast filly mid-pack until being flushed out approaching the second bend. Found blitzed her own third quarter in :26.4 to easily clear before hitting the far curve, and she won by 3-1/4 lengths over Staycation (Tim Tetrick), who sat the pocket then came back in the lane to decision pacesetting Santafes Gina (Pat Lachance) for the deuce. Earlier this campaign, Found turned in a 1:49.2 over the local oval, a clocking which may explain why the Always B Miki-Geothermal miss attracted $17,264 out of the $20,152 total win/place/show pool on Friday.
In the $15,068 fast-class handicap pace for distaffs, Take Your Pick, a daughter of JK Endofanera and Intelligence invading from Yonkers Raceway and sent off as the second choice, was pushed hard by favoured Hers Hungry (Johnathan Ahle) to get the lead in a :26.4 quarter, then hooked up again with that one in a :27 kicker, with Take Your Pick prevailing by a quarter of a length in 1:52.2. The frequent winner (eight-for-14 this season, 18-for-54 lifetime) was driven by Tim Tetrick for trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing.
Jimmy Takter was lured back to the sulky in a $14,384 maiden trot, behind the Tactical Landing-Solveig sophomore colt Uncle Bjorn, and the first-time starter went from last at the quarter all the way to the winner's circle, trotting his own back half in :57 to capture his bow in 1:57 for trainer/daughter Nancy, who is part of the ownership along with Christinatakter&Anderberg, John Fielding and Fred Hertrich III.
It’s not hard to figure out why Takter, who has driven in only seven races since his last win, which came right here at Philly on Nov. 3, 2022, took the sulky assignment – Uncle Bjorn’s dam is Solveig, like her driver a member of the U.S. Hall of Fame, dam of U.S. Trotter of the Year Shake It Cerry, and the dam of Uncle Bjorn’s half-brother by Walner, Joe Bo, who won a baby race here three days ago.
Tim Tetrick and George Napolitano Jr., between them the winners of the last 18 driving victory championships at Harrah’s Philadelphia and 1-2 respectively this year, each had a four-bagger on the Friday card. All four of Napolitano’s winners came from the rejuvenated Dean Eckley barn, while Tetrick guided two successful horses for Jeff Cullipher, making the current trainers standings read: Scott Di Domenico 17; Cullipher, Eckley and Izzy Estrada each one off the lead at 16.
A 12:40 p.m. card on Sunday will close out the week’s racing at Harrah’s Philly. The fast-class veterans will be featured in $13,000 USD and $11,000 USD events, with a combined seven horses in the two fields coming off victories. And next Thursday, two-year-old trotters will get their first taste of pari-mutuel action.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)