On “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the conditioned feature for developing horses went for $18,493, and the Cantab Hall-Won An Done filly Tabdone made it the opportunity to prevail once again, taking the lead at the quarter and rolling on to victory in a lifetime-best 1:54.
Four out of the five horses in the feature were on the gate and looking for early position, with Tabdone clearing Camera Man (Ake Svanstedt) to lead at the :28.2 quarter. Relatively soft middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.3 were hung up, and then trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer asked his filly for more, and she responded nicely, stepping a :27.2 last quarter to defeat Camera Man by two lengths for Purple Haze Stables LLC. Modigliani S (Andrew McCarthy) finished third. Now a winner of three straight, Tabdone ($2.40) is four-for-seven since debuting this season at three.
In the $17,808 conditioned co-feature for fast-class trotters, French Wine, second in the Hambletonian Maturity in 2024, picked up his first win in a year and nine days with a 1:53.3 victory. Andy Miller directed the five-year-old son of Bar Hopping-Creamy Mimi into the two-hole behind fellow even-money shot and slight favourite Cecil Hanover (Svanstedt), waited through :28.1, :56.4, and 1:25 splits, then dove to the passing lane and went on to win by two lengths. Three-hole sitter Credit Con (Tim Tetrick) edged out Cecil Hanover for the deuce. Julie Miller trains French Wine ($4.20), a millionaire stallion with 12 career wins in 39 starts, for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Daniel and Jean-Christophe Plouffe, and One Legend Stable Inc.
The assembled talent of seasoned diagonally-gaited horses produced no fewer than seven sub-1:55 miles in the spirited competition throughout the hot day.
There was also a pair of $15,068 races for two-year-old trotters, one for each sex. Making a most impressive purse bow was San Patricio, a Swan For All-Kaikoura gelding who, after a tune-up win in a morning event on June 18, won easily in 1:57.1 for trainer John Butenschoen, red-hot with freshman trotters along the eastern Pennsylvania corridor, and owners Tony and Michael Holmes, June Zent, and Timothy Thornton. Andrew McCarthy, sitting fifth with the fast baby down the backstretch, backed out behind a parked horse then swung his charge three-wide just past the three-quarters and got a :28.1 kick out of him as the pair trotted off from the opposition. Bayside Cue (Corey Callahan) was second by 2-1/2 lengths, followed by Spicoli (Tetrick)
After earlier capturing the day’s featured event, Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze had another impressive win with the freshman filly Islandgirl Hanover, who was ready off a winning qualifier to immediately break her maiden in 1:57.4. Sitting third much of the way until nearing the far turn, Islandgirl Hanover grinded home in :27.3 to catch pacesetter French Echo (Andy Miller) by a quarter-length. Carve (Andrew McCarthy) was third. The winning daughter of Captain Corey-Island Lily was a $166,667 Harrisburg purchase.
While the feature events eluded him, Philly’s four-time defending driving champion Tetrick brought home four winners as he continues to build a sizable lead towards capturing consecutive crown number five.
Harrah’s Philly will race on Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m., and then the schedule will expand for the month of July as five Wednesday cards will be held, beginning at 12:25 p.m.
(With files from PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)