Hot trainer Gareth Dowse can do little wrong these days. He took over the care of Obvious Blue Chip, New York Sire Stakes champion and winner of $379,000 at three but a puzzlement in two starts at four, found her key, then saw her go out and overcome Post 8 after a 29-day break from the races with a 1:51.1 victory in the $17,000 fillies and mares pacing feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon (July 4).
Tim Tetrick had little trouble reaching the top despite the outer draw and rattled off fractions of :27.1, :55.3 and 1:24 with the Roll With Joe mare. In the stretch, it looked like pocket sitter Pass Line Bluechip could be a threat, but Tetrick just chirped to his horse and lifted the lines once. Obvious Blue Chip obviously knew what to do, winning by 1-1/2 lengths and boosting her earnings to $423,409 for the NLG Racing Stable and Stephen Klunowski.
Tetrick was also behind Wild Bill, the full brother to top stakes horse Huntsville and a colt who had shown much promise before his two-year-old season ended after four starts. Making his first purse start in nearly eleven months, Wild Bill was victorious in a lifetime best 1:51.4, but it was far from an easy victory.
Wild Bill was settled into third early from post 7 as Artifact Hanover took advantage of the rail and was sent down the road by Corey Callahan, with Tetrick putting Wild Bill into play up the back. The two were virtually inseparable from before the three-quarter pole, but in the shadow of the wire that Wild Bill finally laid claim to victory, getting by his stubborn rival by a neck. Ray Schnittker trains and owns the Somebeachsomewhere sophomore.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)