The chestnut International Moni filly Elista Hanover recorded her sixth straight triumph at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday, June 9 when she won one of three divisions of a $198,355 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes (PASS) second prelim for three-year-old trotting fillies.
David Miller got the heavy favourite in gear late on the first turn and had her moving frontward past a :28.4 quarter to command in front of the stands. Middle splits of :57.1 and 1:25 were posted with 'Elista' still in firm control, and when pocket-sitter Graceful Design made a big late charge, the winner still did not appear threatened in the 1:53 mile although her margin shrunk to three parts of a length.
The 1:53 time was a new mark for Elista Hanover, who has now won her last four starts in stakes company: the Weiss Series final and a PA All-Stars division at Pocono, the first PASS leg at The Meadows and now the second prelim here (the only Sire Stakes doubler). She is trained by Annie Stoebe, who is also co-owner with R. Lynn and Philomena Curry.
Miller also won another Sire Stakes division as he wound up with four stakes victories on the card, scoring with with Draw The Line, a daughter of Cantab Hall. She sat a pocket trip behind splits of :27.2, :57 and 1:25.1, backed over when favoured She Shaq went by uncovered on the turn and posted the largest winning margin of all of the day’s stakes, 2-1/2 lengths, in a 1:54.1 victory for trainer Ron Burke and owner Brad Grant.
You won’t find a much bigger difference in age between trainer (93) and driver (24), but Don Wiest and Braxten Boyd are certainly the right combination for the late-blooming Andover Hall filly Tuis Angel, who won her third straight while equalling her mark of 1:54 in the third PASS cut.
Tuis Angel flew out of the gate and led for virtually all of the race, hanging up splits of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:25.2 then staying strong enough to defeat closing Emoji Hanover by a length. The nonagenarian trainer is also co-owner in this all-in-the-family filly (her dam Tui set a world record as a four-year-old for Team Wiest) with his son David, Pamela Kimmel and James Rappold.
David Miller also captured two of the five $27,397 divisions of Stallion Series action, including the fastest one, 1:54.2, with the International Moni filly Southern Moni, who took a new mark for trainer Blake MacIntosh, also owner with Hutt Racing Stable, Tim Klemencic and Ozzie Mackay. Miller teamed with sire International Moni for another PA Stallion Series success with Drawing Rights, who lowered her mark a fifth to 1:55.2 for trainer Chris Ryder and owner Murray Ferguson Jr.
The only double winner in the first two Stallion Series prelims is the Father Patrick miss Dubai, who tailed lively cover on the far turn, missing an inside mixup and went on to win in 1:56.4 for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Noel Daley and owner Frederick Hertrich III.
Father Patrick was also the sire of one of the two Stallion Series winners pairing driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Lucas Wallin – The Moment, second in stakes in her first two starts of the year and here lowering her mark to 1:55 for owners Al Libfeld, Marvin and Lynn Katz, and Sam Goldband. Tetrick/Wallin also got a lifetime best 1:55.2 out of the Bar Hopping filly Tequini Hanover, closing for the win for Wallin Racing Stable Inc., Wiesman Farms LLC and Pieter Delis.
Frank Tsipouras and Neil Glasser exploded the toteboard with wins in their respective $10,274 divisions of the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
In the pacing division, Tsipouras fired down the road with 12-1 shot Needless To Say to post a 1:55.1 win.
Tsipouras sent his charge out of the pylon post for the top, took control and rolled through fractions of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:24.4. His main challenge came through the final turn as even-money favourite Rock Idol (Yogi Sheridan) slowly closed into contention from a parked trip and ducked into the second spot as pocket-sitter Duckies Dynasty (Neil Glasser) faltered through the field. Needless To Say stayed strong through the lane despite his shrinking advantage to keep a half length in front of Rock Idol at the beam with Never Easy Z Tam (Alexandra Goldin) checking in third and Wilsons Vinner (Raymond Burt) fourth.
Tsipouras trains Needless To Say, a seven-year-old gelding by Warrawee Needy, for owner August Santore. Needless To Say paid $26.60 to win.
Though Glasser’s charge checked in last in division one, he exacted revenge to the tune of 36-1 odds behind Common Parlance in a 1:57.2 score to take the AHDC Trot.
Glasser launched Common Parlance forward and landed the pocket spot behind Ghibli (Matt Zuccarello) and first-over Lionhead (James Slendorn) as they duelled through an opening clip of :28.1 and :57.3. But while the front two remained embroiled in battle, 2-5 favourite Ice Breakers K (Yogi Sheridan) looped three-wide and swarmed for the lead to the backside. Ice Breakers K bolted to a two-length lead at three-quarters in 1:26.3 and cruised for home as Glasser shook free from the pylons with Common Parlance. Gradually, Common Parlance marched towards Ice Breakers K and persisted down the center of the track through the stretch. Common Parlance pushed forward at the beam to put a neck up on Ice Breakers K while Lionhead gave chase to take third, beaten four lengths, and Bangin In The Hall (Pearly Allen) checked in fourth.
Joseph Eisenhower Sr. trains Common Parlance, a 10-year-old gelding by Crazed, for owner Henry Ottinger. Common Parlance paid $74.80 to win.
AHDC action is slated to continue at Harrah’s Philadelphia next Sunday, June 16 with a pacing and trotting division accepting entries.
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, June 13 when a $20,548 Winners-Over Handicap Trot finds Asteroid, second to Jiggy Jog S in the Cutler in his 2024 debut, starting from the outside in a field of seven.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia & AHDC)