As a sure sign that summer is just around the corner, the first two-year-olds of the Harrah’s Philadelphia season made the racetrack during the Tuesday, June 3 morning qualifying session: a pair of two-year-old pacing fillies getting their first charted lines.
In a race qualifying won by the Karen Garland-trained unraced three-year-old Ragin Lacey and Steve Smith in 1:58.1, two-year-olds Areta finished second and Twin B Msamericana was fourth. Areta, who was race timed in 1:59.1, is sired by More The Bettor N, a son of Bettors Delight who is based in Maryland, while Twin B Msamericana is a daughter of American Ideal out of Avia Hanover, a three-quarter sister to the $2 million+ winner Allywag Hanover.
Two-year-olds are also slated for action at The Meadows on Tuesday and Pocono on Wednesday, as trainers want to have their precocious babies ready for the stakes season in Pennsylvania, which begins at the fairs on June 25 at Butler and at the pari-mutuels on July 2 at The Meadows.
Winners of other qualifiers at Philly on Tuesday included French Wine, a millionaire five-year-old son of Bar Hopping who was second, beaten a neck, in the Hambletonian Maturity in his last start, here winning a third qualifier on the comeback trail in 1:55 for the Millers -- driver Andy and trainer Julie.
Faze, a three-year-old daughter of Sweet Lou who was a winner of her Matron Stakes and took a 1:51 mark at two, won her first qualifier this season in 1:55.3 first-over, with her back fractions in :54.4 and :27, for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Brett Pelling.
Tahuya Devil, a five-year-old American Ideal son coming from Fraser Downs with 13 wins in 19 career starts, won his qualifier in 1:53.4, with Tetrick aboard for trainer Andrew Harris.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of French Wine from a previous win at Harrah's Philadelphia)