Anders Bluestone survived a first over journey to win the Friday afternoon featured $50,000 Open Trot in record time at Harrah's Philadelphia.
Favourite Sevruga and Andy Miller cleared to command at the :27.2 opening quarter mark and laid down middle splits of :55.4 and 1:23.3 while George Napolitano Jr. sent 2-1 second choice Anders Bluestone first up from fourth. The six-year-old son of Yankee Glide moved up alongside the leader around the final turn and unleashed a :28.1 final frame to get up for the victory by three-quarters of a length in a career-best 1:52 flat.
The time of the mile matched Winning Mister's North American record for aged trotting horses on a five-eighths mile track and was one second off the overall male record held by gelding Arch Madness.
Anders Bluestone paid $6.20 to win. Sevruga stayed for second while Firstclassprincess, driven by Yannick Gingras, finished five lengths behind in third.
The Eric Ell trainee has won more than half of his 20 starts this year while banking $214,800 for owners WM Kenneth Wood of Denton, Maryland, and William Dittmar Jr. of Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Today's victory was the bay trotter's 32nd lifetime and bumped his career earnings to $833,275.