Driver Marcus Miller, who led the driver colony in his native Illinois before coming East and showing he can drive with the best sulkysmiths around, earned his 3,000th career victory by guiding the maiden trotter Boxing Gloves to a 1:59 victory on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The milestone victory wasn’t an easy one for horse or driver, as the 6-5 race favourite had to come uncovered at the three-eighths and grinded away. But turning for home, the winning Muscle Hill colt seized the lead, and Marcus kept his ridgling’s mind to business to the wire to score number 3,000. The victory was probably all the sweeter because Marcus won for his father, trainer Erv Miller, who conditions the sophomore for Silver Linden Farms.
The 2016 Rising Star Award winner from the U.S. Harness Writers Association, the 29-year-old certainly has talent running throughout his pedigree: in addition to dad Erv, Andy Miller is his uncle, and “Hurricane” Hannah Miller is his sister. Currently seventh in the standings among the all-star Philly drivers colony, Marcus’s biggest career victory came in a 2016 Breeders Crown with Someomensomewhere. He finished third in the 2017 World Driving Chammpionship, hosted by tracks across Canada last summer.
A look at the feature races of the day:
Driver Victor Kirby has seen both sides of the harness racing game at Harrah’s Philadelphia recently. In his last pari-mutuel start, Kirby’s pacer had stumbled and fell near the half-mile pole; in his first betting start since that unceremonious event, Victor guided New Heaven wire-to-wire from the outside post eight to take a new mark of 1:54.2 in the $17,000 trotting feature Thursday.
The son of Yankee Glide, trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and David Wills, dictated early fractions of 28.1 and 57.4, then was required to speed up as favoured EI EI O stormed up uncovered, with those two nose-to-nose past the 1:25.2 third station. Through the stretch New Heaven was under attack from every direction, from Pricelesspossesion in the passing lane to Casa Palmera not all that far removed from the outside fence. With determination, New Heaven held on to win by a half-length over EI EI O, with Pricelesspossesion third and Casa Palmera fourth, those two both within a neck of second.
In the $14,500 co-feature, first-over Classic Belisima wore down pacesetter Sir John F, who had been hard-used to make the top, drawing away late to tally by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:56. John Cabot trains the daughter of Crazed, who has now assembled a bankroll of $269,760 lifetime, for owner William Cantrell.
(with files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)