A trio of $12,600 events, two on the trot and one on the pace, for developing horses highlighted the opening of the racing week on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The faster of the trotting contests went to the Father Patrick gelding Pedal On Metal, who came home in :56.2 and :28 from way back to be along by 1-1/4 lengths over Strongerthanlindy and reduce his career mark by three seconds to 1:54.2 under the handling of Tim Tetrick. Pedal On Metal now has two wins and second in three seasonal starts for trainer Anette Lorentzon, who is also co-owner with ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson.
In the other trot, the Explosive Matter gelding King Tut Hanover made every pole a winning one, holding off the stretch thrust of favoured Candy Bomber by a nose in a lifetime best 1:57. David Miller drove the winner for trainer Louise Pepin, who is also co-owner with Steven Bryden.
The pacing feature was for distaffs and the Sweet Lou sophomore filly Mind Blowing lived up to her 1-9 billing, stepping home in :55.2 to complete a three-length victory over JK A E One in 1:52.1. Andrew McCarthy was behind the Linda Toscano trainee, who won for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Bottom Line Racing LLC and South Mountain Stables.
In a first of a pair of two-year-old pacing filly contests, the Stay Hungry-Maniami filly Chiapanecas (named after a Mexican handclapping song you would know) went fractions of :29.2, :58 and 1:26.1 en route to a two-length victory over Ginger Tree Belle in 1:53.4, a season’s record for filly on a five-eighths-mile track and equal to any baby pacer of either sex, for driver Yannick Gingras, trainer Ron Burke and owner W J Donovan.
After fractions of :29, :57 and 1:25.4 in the other cut, Gingras and Burke tried for a sweep with the uncovered Lou Lou, but they were caught by three-quarters of a length by the Stay Hungry-Skinny Dip miss Lyons Legend in 1:54.1, a winner for Threelyonsracing and two fellows known for success with pacing fillies – the team of driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr.
Racing continues on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. Thursday’s program will feature a $1751.59 carryover into the Pick-5 in races five through nine. Sunday’s card features the $142,148 third preliminary of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts, with among the entrants the likes of Khaosan Road, already a triple stakes winner this year, and Once In A Lifetime, the division’s defending Sire Stakes champion. Program pages for all races at Harrah’s Philadelphia will be available on the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association website.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)