A quartet of $12,600 races for developing horses topped the card at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon (June 15) – two for pacing males, and two for trotters.
The first event for pacing males saw Bionic make every pole a winning one, with the Always B Miki gelding getting home first by a neck over Macs Marvel in a lifetime mark of 1:51.3 for driver Trae Porter, trainer Michael Shults, and Blazer One Racing.
Atlas Hanover, a gelded sophomore son of Captaintreacherous, went to the lead at the half, then zoomed home in :55.2, :27.1 to be a going-away winner in the other cut in 1:52. Coming off a Stallion Series win and then a close third in a Sire Stakes event, Atlas Hanover found this competition to his liking for driver Dexter Dunn, trainer Tony Alagna, and the partnership of Robert Leblanc, David Anderson, Ken Jacobs, and In The Gym Partners.
On the trotting side the Muscle Hill gelding Beyond The Hill took command beyond the quarter, then held off the steady closer Talismano to post a neck decision while lowering his mark to 1:56. Andrew McCarthy was in the sulky for trainer Aaron Lambert and the ownership of Jeffrey and Michael Snyder and Onda Racing Stable LLC.
The E L Titan gelding Bill Bauer, last year’s freshman champion in the Massachusetts program, put it all together in his section, grinding up from far back with an individual last half of :56.2 to lower his mark to 1:56.3. Todd McCarthy kept Bill Bauer on the straight and narrow for trainer Paul Kelley, also co-owner with Joseph Palillo III and Ellen Palillo.
Two-year-olds were added to the 2022 pari-mutuel mix with a pair of $11,700 events for fillies. In the trot, the Father Patrick-Wind Stroll miss Wind Chime was again very impressive after a winning qualifier at Gaitway, here coming her own back half in :56.2 to be an easy winner while establishing a mark of 1:58.3 for driver Andy Miller, trainer Julie Miller, and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc., Gty Stable, Walter Zent, and Tony Holmes.
The Heston Blue Chip-Southwind Shania filly Dontletjuliafoolya was pointed right down the road by driver Simon Allard in the pacing contest, and she darted home smartly in :56.1, :27.4 to win in 1:54.3, taking a mark while a neck ahead of the first-over Doing Marvelous, for trainer Les Givens and the partnership of Nanticoke Racing Inc. and Keesha Givens.
“Trottin’ Thursday” at Philly will be highlighted by a $22,500 handicap event; the two with the outermost slots are Scirocco Rob, the winner in this class here last week, and Yanks Dugout, who won the Open trot at Harrah’s on its Super Sunday card. First post Thursday (June 16) is at 12:25 p.m. (EDT). Program pages are available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)