Crystal Fashion sat behind pacesetter Big Oil, moved out midway on the far turn, and trotted right away from the rest of the field to win the $16,200 feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:52.4 on Thursday afternoon (July 8) and give driver Tim Tetrick one of seven wins on the card.
Big Oil, a world champion and winner of three of his last four, cleared Crystal Fashion in a :26.4 first quarter before rating a :56.4 half. After sitting second through three-quarters in 1:24.4, Tetrick knew his horse was full of forward motion, so he pulled him out, and the pair stormed into the lead coming into the stretch. Big Oil lasted for second, 4-1/4 lengths behind the victorious Cantab Hall gelding, who lifted his lifetime earnings to $2,045,318 for trainer Jim Campbell and Fashion Farms LLC.
The card also featured two $14,400 events for rising trotters. One cut went to the sophomore Bar Hopping gelding Robbie Pev and Tetrick — the pair roared from far back around the last turn and through the stretch to a 1:54.4 lifetime best performance. Jill Roland trains the sharp trotter for owner Bernard O’Brien.
In the other division of the sub-feature, the Muscle Massive gelding My Boy Christian found enough late foot to win a blanket finish by a half length, also notching a career best 1:54.4. Owned by Cheyenne Racing Stable LLC, My Boy Christian has been reborn since teaming with trainer-driver Pat Lachance, with three wins in four starts.
On Friday (July 9), a quartet of $12,600 contests — two for trotters and two for male pacers — top the bill of fare. Program pages will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)