Street Boy parlayed a pocket trip to victory in Saturday's (June 22) featured $17,000 upper-level conditioned pace at Harrah's Philadelphia, grinding down Rockapelo in progress to a 1:51.3 score.
Simon Allard gunned the four-year-old American Ideal straight to the front from post 5, and the pair drilled a :26.1 first quarter before yielding to Rockapelo with a circuit to go. After Rockapelo kept the pace strong through a :54.1 half, Allard angled Street Boy out up the backstretch to avoid being boxed by 8-5 favourite My Delight advancing first over. Street Boy then advanced in the breeze to claim a narrow lead from Rockapelo past three-quarters in 1:22.1.
Turning for home, Street Boy had dismissed Rockapelo, but My Delight loomed a closer threat. Undeterred, Street Boy held his ground and paced strongly to a one-and-a-half length victory. My Delight was second, and Western Delight N emerged from traffic to finish third.
Trevor Stafford trains eight-time winner Street Boy for Rene Allard. He paid $13.00 to win.
Stoebe, Dark Pool win Billings Trot
Annie "Get Your Gun" Stoebe captured her first driving win this year in a $12,000 C.K.G. Billings event, teaming up with Vinny Ginsburg's Dark Pool to collar Fiji narrowly in 1:56.3.
With 8-5 favourite Noble Warrawee off stride before the start, Stoebe floated Dark Pool into third to stalk Fiji and Dunn Dealin through splits of :28.2 and :58.2. Midway up the backstretch, Stoebe found a seam to split the first-over Powerful Yield and the pocket-sitting Dunn Dealin before surging after Fiji nearing three-quarters in 1:27.
After Dark Pool seized the lead at head-stretch and dug in to beat Fiji to the winning post by a neck, Polansky—driver of third-place finisher Powerful Yield—claimed foul against Stoebe, citing interference on the backstretch. The claim was disallowed, and Stoebe earned her sixth career driving win.
Dark Pool, a 14-time winner, is a six-year-old Cantab Hall gelding trained by Paul Fusco. He paid $8.80 to win.
Jackpot Hi-5 carryover keeps growing
The carryover for the Jackpot Hi-5 ballooned to $18,338.73 after Always A Rocket ($78.80, Victor Kirby) sprung a 38-1 upset in the afternoon's fifth race and 87-1 shot Dalton Did It finished second. No players correctly selected the 4-9-2-5-6 combination, resulting in an increased carryover for Sunday afternoon's (June 23) fifth race.
The 20-cent wager requires players to select the top five finishers, with the carryover paid out in the event of one unique winning ticket.
Live racing returns to Harrah's Philadelphia on Sunday, with post time scheduled for 12:40 p.m. (EDT).
(with files from Harrah's Philadelphia)