Trotting mare Turn The Paige and driver Jackie Ingrassia missed the world record for a 5/8-mile trot over a 5/8-mile track by two-fifths of a second while taking a $12,500 event at Harrah’s Philadelphia Saturday afternoon. But with the energy the winner showed, the record could have been hers with a better trip.
Actually, it’s hard to imagine a worse trip for the Cantab Hall mare. She left from post five, three-wide most of the quickly-arriving first turn in the once-around race, and then raced two-wide raw the duration against pacesetting favorite Hemi Seelster through fractions of :27.1 and :55.2. But in the stretch it was Turn The Paige and “Lady J” who continued to power to the wire, winning by 2-3/4 lengths over a late-charging Patton, with Hemi Seelster settling for show. The time of the race was 1:09.2, just shy of the 1:09 mark set by Sooo Handsome at Pompano earlier this year.
Husband-trainer Frank Ingrassia conditions the winner for his wife-owner-driver, and they saw their mare reach earnings of $202,545 with the sprint triumph.
Top purse event on the day at Harrah’s was a $17,000 conditioned pace, won in impressive fashion by the Shanghai Phil gelding Makasi while lowering his lifetime mark by almost two seconds to 1:50.2. Driver/trainer Pat Lachance worked out a fine second-over trip with the winner of $169,576, sent up three-wide on the far turn, and the winner responded with a thumping last quarter of :27.2 to win by 3-1/4 lengths for Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)