Despite a relatively pressure-free journey and soft fractions, 2019 Breeders Crown champion Amigo Volo was narrowly upset at 1-5 odds in the first $94,967 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Sunday (Aug. 16) at Harrah's Philadelphia—with Maesteraemon ($8.60) and EL Ideal ($4.00) sharing the honours in a 1:53.3 dead heat.
After riding the pocket behind Amigo Volo through splits of :28, :56.2 and 1:25.1, EL Ideal and Trond Smedshammer wedged out to attack with just over an eighth of a mile to go—enabling Maesteraemon and Tony Morgan to find a clear path to the open stretch. Amigo Volo was fully extended off the home turn, and ultimately gave way to the tandem of EL Ideal in the two-path and the surging Maesteraemon up the open stretch with 40 yards to go.
The shared victory was Maesteraemon 's first of the season and fifth of his career. Marcus Melander trains the son of Andover Hall for the SRF Stable. EL Ideal , a son of Muscle Hill who ended his rookie season with a decisive score in the Valley Victory, earned his second win as a three-year-old and the sixth of his career for EMP-Invest Oy of Finland and trainer Åke Svanstedt.
Smedshammer won the second Sire Stakes division as well, doing so in decisive fashion with his trainee Hillexotic ($5.80). The son of Muscle Hill worked clear of Beyond Kronos through a :28.3 quarter before evading an outside challenge from Gangster Hanover by seven-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:53.4. Gangster Hanover dueled down pocket rival Beyond Kronos for runner-up honours.
Hillexotic, who did not race at two, earned his second win in five starts for Wanda Polisseni's Purple Haze Stables.
Overserved ($4.80) took top honours across four $20,000 Stallion Series divisions with a 1:55.1 mile in line to Victor Kirby. Bargain Bob ($4.80, Simon Allard, 1:57.3), Meanttobe De Vie ($29.00, George Brennan, 1:58) and Scirocco Patrick ($80.00, Daniel Dubé, 1:56.3) won their splits as well.
In the sub-featured $20,000 winners-over pace, Southwind Ozzi ($26.60) won for the first time since he captured the 2019 Little Brown Jug, grinding down Turbo Hill for a 1:52 score over Jacks Legend N and Highalator. Daniel Dubé drove the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere for trainer Bill MacKenzie and owners Vincent Ali Jr. and Alma Iafelice.
Racing returns to Harrah's Philadelphia on Wednesday (Aug. 19) with a pair of carryovers on the 14-race card: a $23,916.26 carryover in the 20-cent Jackpot Hi-5 in Race 5, and $4,795.40 in free money on the table in the 50-cent Pick-4, which begins in Race 7. Post time is 12:25 p.m. (EDT).
(Harrah's Philadelphia)