There were two quartets of features at a sweltering Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon (July 7): four $12,600 events for climbing-the-ladder horses, and four $11,700 2-year-old paces, including three for fillies eight days ahead of their first PA Sire Stakes/Stallion Series action, taking place here.
It looks like Let It Ride Stables Inc. should be anticipating the freshman pacing filly stakes season, as they were co-owners of all three of Wednesday’s winners, with their Pennsylvania-sired filly Heartbreak Hotel posting the fastest time of the trio — a 1:53.1 mile. Dexter Dunn let the daughter of Sweet Lou–Love Canal (a $600,000 winner) roll on the front in splits of :27.4, :56.4 and 1:24, then continued to victory in her purse bow for trainer "Nifty" Norman. Let It Ride shares ownership of this miss with Bottom Line Racing LLC.
Let It Ride and Bottom Line struck again with the American Ideal–Fox Valley Shaker baby Throw The Dice, who came successive back quarters of :28.2 to win in 1:54.3 in her first betting start for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Linda Toscano. Let It Ride’s third winner, owned in partnership with Maurice Chodash and Barry Cohen, was also a Toscano trainee making her first purse start — the Huntsville–Living History filly Reenactment, who controlled the pace in a 1:56.1 win under the guidance of David Miller.
The lone action for freshmen male pacers went to Early Action, a gelded son of Huntsville and the first foal of Fashion Katie, whose dam was a full sister to Kikikatie. Early Action belied his name in this event, coming his last quarter in :27.2 and passing four horses in the stretch to fashion a 1:54.2 win in his purse debut for driver David Miller, trainer Joe Holloway, and the ownership of Val D’Or Farms and Ted Gewertz.
In the $12,600 contests, one distaff division went to the Always B Miki–Anndrovette sophomore filly Nashville Elgenna, who took the lead from JM Betonsix then just held off a late rush by that one by a head in 1:52 (last half :55.2) for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Tony Alagna and Crawford Farms Racing. The other saw the Sweet Lou sophomore Ginger Tree Liz come from well-back at the three-quarters to go right on by, with her own last half in the 1:53.2 mile a sparkling :55 for driver David Miller, trainer Steve Cook, and the partnership of Sam Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures LLC, Double D Racing Stable, and Reber-Chesen Stable.
The top purse division for male pacers was won by the Somebeachsomewhere sophomore colt Carbine, who stepped around favoured Serious Miki after the quarter, then sizzled home in :53.4 against the powerful pocket pursuer to defeat him by a half-length in a mark of 1:50.4. Dexter Dunn drove for trainer Tony Alagna and the Let It Ride Stables LLC and Bottom Line Racing Inc., along with Howard Taylor.
In the trotting sector, the $600,000 yearling Ineffable — a sophomore daughter of Cantab Hall and a three-quarter sister to $500,000-winner Crucial — trotted her back fractions in :56, :27.4 on the lead to lower her mark to 1:53.3 for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Marcus Melander, and the partnership of Menhammar Stuteri AB and S R F Stable.
David Miller, whose name was associated with three of the winners above, finished the day with five victories.
The $16,200 feature on “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s will find such national-level stars as JL Cruze, Crystal Fashion, and Big Oil in a powerful eight-horse field. Program pages for the 12:25 p.m. (EDT) card will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)