Despite winning four of his previous five starts, Little Expensive was left to go off as the 5-1 longest shot on the board in the five-horse $20,270 Winners Over Handicap Trot on Thursday afternoon, June 19 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and he upended the form players by catching the favoured Chapercraz to win by 1-3/4 lengths while equalling his mark of 1:51.4 set last time out.
The race had a rare “reverse lineup” of post positions from the outside down, with Chapercraz and David Miller taking the immediate lead and rolling right along through fractions of :27.3, :56.1 and 1:23.4. Driver Tyler Miller eased Little Expensive from the pocket midway on the far turn and in the stretch he was stronger than the pacesetting chalk. Once In A Lifetime and Todd McCarthy took the show dough.
A five-year-old gelded son of Muscle Hill out of Seviyorum, Little Expensive lifted his bankroll over the $300,000 mark for trainer Julie Miller, who sent out a total of three winners on the 14-race card, and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc. of Cream Ridge, New Jersey, Jean Goehlen of Franconia, New Hampshire and VIP Internet Stable of Piscataway, New Jersey.
All Wrapped Up got an early tuck third, rushed to the lead just before the half, then lived up to his name for almost the last three-eighths of a mile as he left the $17,568 fast-class sub-feature group far behind while lowering his lifetime record to 1:52.1. Todd McCarthy, who led all horsepeople on the day with four visits to the winner's circle, guided the nine-year-old Archangel-Jukebox Jackie gelding to the facile score for trainer Joe Bongiorno and owners Jennifer Bongiorno Stable and Howard Taylor.
Yall Keep Dreaming, the Maryland champion two-year-old while undefeated (like his sire Yallbeneath Me and grandsire Googoo Gaagaa), made breaks in two of his first three 2025 starts, so trainer/owner Richard Hans (“patriarch” of this success story) put hopples back on the colt. He won nicely in his first start after returning to the pants, then was even better on Thursday, coming out of third on the turn and out-trotting Breeders Crown elimination winner and two-holer Daiquiri Hanover, the heavy favourite, by a half-length in a lifetime best 1:53.1. Driver Jonathan Ahle was in his regular spot behind the winner of this $18,244 trot, a 10-time success story in 12 lifetime starts and a horse to watch.
Two-year-olds made their 2025 betting bows at Philly, with trotters leading off. The first of two $14,865 races, for males, was won by Churchill, a Father Patrick-With Me Always colt who was quickly ahead for driver Todd McCarthy and hustled right down the road while winning in 1:59.3 with a :29.3 final quarter for owner Bernard O’Brien. Churchill’s trainer, Jill Roland, has been one of eastern Pennsylvania’s hottest conditioners: since May 20, her stable has put up figures of 19-6-5-4, 32 per cent, .532. (It is interesting to note that another Churchill, Winston, introduced the concept of pari-mutuel wagering to Great Britain.)
Churchill would have seen his pari-mutuel system explode in the second baby race, as the International Moni-Holtby Hanover filly Holdmymoni Hanover won a mixed-sex race in 2:00.3 and paid $91.20 to win. The 7-6 exacta with a 38-1 shot in the place slot returned $1906.80; the 7-6-8 Trifecta with a 50-1 shot third wasn’t even covered and paid 7-6-ALL to the tune of $3,562.40 (no carryovers on Trifectas in Pennsylvania); and the 7-6-8-3 Superfecta with the 2-1 second choice fourth also was uncovered and produced a $3,184.17 carryover for the next race. The winner was driven by Steve Smith for trainer Clifton Green and owner JML Racing.
The remaining cards this week at Harrah’s Philly will take place on Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. Wednesday racing, with a 12:25 p.m. start, will be added for the five Wednesdays in July.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)