Fourteen fields of freshmen faced the starting gate in the first full-scale set of two-year-old qualifiers at Harrah’s Philadelphia this season. Themes set themselves up in the various divisions: driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller were the dominant figures in the trotting action; the team of driver Cory Mumford and trainer Jamie Sullivan posted three 2:00 miles with male pacers, including the fastest mile among all the freshmen; and sire Papi Rob Hanover has three of his four pacing daughters succeed.
Team Orange Crush were connected with three of the four trotting filly winners, the fastest of whom was the Walner-Flyer Mel miss Mrs Rattigan, who went wire-to-wire in 1:59.2, with her last half a crisp :57.2, for owner Michael Anderson. Two other trotting fillies who won for the Millers include Jula Florence (Chapter Seven-Jula Shes Magic) in 2:00 with back half fractions of :57.3 and :28.3 and the Greenshoe-Baby Longstocking miss Honky Tonk Babe in 2:02.4.
There were only two sections for male trotters, and the Millers won with the fastest trotter of the day (and just missed the fastest pacer’s clocking by a fifth), the Love You-Southwind Adele colt Adios Amigos Kemp, who flashed back quarters of :28.3 and :29 to win by 10 lengths in 1:58 for Andy Miller Stable, Arden Homestead Stable, Jean Goehlen and Adios Amigos Stable.
Switching over to the pacing males, Cory Mumford piloted three precocious freshmen to victory for trainer Jamie Sullivan, the fastest of which was the 1:57.4 wire-to-wire victory of Mikis Big Bang, a colt by Always B Miki-Shebang N who sped home in :27.4 to show his talent for owner James Fleming.
The other pair of colt winners for Mumford/Sullivan, both also pacesetters, are owned by the triumvirate of David Hamm, Glenn Phillips and Frank Chick, and are both sons of Stay Hungry: Hungry Marco (dam Always Giggling) in 1:58.1 and Midnight Drive (dam Turnoffthelights) in 1:58.2, both clocking :27.2 final quarters.
The quickest winner among the three Papi Rob Hanover freshman pacing fillies was Pa Layla (dam Tava), moving past the quarter to the lead for driver Andrew McCarthy and finishing in :28.2 to complete her mile in 1:58.2 for the ownership of Patricia Stables, L A Express Stable, Sjoeblom Racing and trainer Noel Daley (McCarthy and Dailey also combined with the Captaintreacherous-Bet On Sunday baby distaff Treacherous Bet for a 2:01.1 tally with a :27.3 closing quarter).
Papi Rob Hanover’s other two winners during the Tuesday morning set were JK Alwaysbpositive (dam JK Alwaysbalady) in 1:59.4 with a :27.4 final quarter for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Brett Pelling, and Ginger Tree Ashley (dam Magic Starlight) in 2:00.3 with Patrick Ryder driving for the Steven Cook stable.
The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, had a win in three of the four baby groupings, then added two more in the qualifiers for older horses later in the morning.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)