Misty Coast came from the pocket to catch Square Deal and win the $19,444 featured handicap pace for females in 1:51 at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday, Aug. 2.
Misty Coast was hustled away by driver Jack Pelling, making the lead just past the eighth in the :26.4 opening panel; Square Deal, who had gotten away second, improved that position by one in front of the stands, reaching the next poles in :55 and 1:22.1.
Sweet Cheyanne, the favourite, was last in the field of seven at the half but had made up tons of ground to challenge the leader on the far turn; Misty Coast joined the battle for command as the field straightened away. The inside path proved the route to success for the successful Powerful Mist mare, who beat out the pacesetter by a neck, with the first-over game to be third, another length back.
Misty Coast, trained by Les Givens and owned by Stephen Messick, was a three-time Delaware Race Fund at two and three, and now at four sports a career record of 20-for-42 and $422,210.
There were two events for distaff pacers ascending the classification ladder. A $18,750 event saw the Sweet Lou filly Sweet Lexi Lou control the pace, finishing out in 1:52.1 with a 2-1/4 length lead over two-holer Schnapps. George Napolitano Jr., top driver on the day with four scores, was in the sulky for trainer Christopher Freck and owner Anthony Olswfski.
The Captaintreacherous filly Donegal Spirit caught the crowd napping as the three-year-old, who showed My Girl EJ and Rocket Deo in her competition lines, put in a clear wire to-wire effort in the $16,667 subclass and paid $46.60. Donegal Spirit took a new mark of 1:52.2 for the young New Zealand driver Carter Dalgety (who also drove the card’s next two longest shots, Footloose Rita at $35.00 and Doubleornothing N at $33.20), trainer Andrew Harris, and the ownership of William Pollock, Bruce Areman, and A Harris Racing LLC.
There was also a $16,667 pace for the priciest claiming handicap pacers on the grounds, a contest which saw Frontier Rollo win for the fifth straight time, here in 1:51, for the hot teaming of driver Simon Allard and trainer/owner Mark Akins. The Time To Roll gelding lived up to his sire’s name out of the gate, yielded but was quick on the regain, then fought off a good last-quarter bid by A Fair Ol Dance N by three-quarters of a length.
The Sunday 12:40 card at Harrah’s Philly will be topped by a $13,000 USD fast-class pace, with Borgata Series Championship winner Hellabalou established as the early choice. There will also be a carryover into the fifth race’s Pick 5 wager. Starting next week, Harrah’s Philly goes back to a schedule of Thursday and Friday racing at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)