Last Saturday, on the Sun Stakes Saturday card at Pocono, the McCarthy brothers won seven of the program’s 14 races. The brothers are still in great sulky form, winning seven of the 14 races at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday (August 27) — the second time they accomplished the feat in six days — with Andrew taking the lead position this time with five wins.
Andrew’s quintuple elevated him to second behind runaway leader Tim Tetrick in the current Philly driving standings with 96 wins on the year, with Todd not too far behind at 87. Maybe Eastern Pennsylvania is just a good climate for driving brothers, as George Napolitano Jr. and Anthony Napolitano rank 1-2 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Sister Christina, a three-year-old daughter by Father Patrick, notched her second straight taking the top purse contest of the card, a $12,600 event, in a lifetime best of 1:55.2. George Napolitano Jr. had the sophomore winging off the gate and cleared to the lead easily. Down the backstretch Tranquility K, a slight favourite over the winner, gave a stiff challenge to the winner that lasted all the way to the wire, but Sister Christina kept the advantage by three-quarters of a length for trainer Jim Campbell and Coyote Wynd Farms.
Pretty Interesting, a freshman daughter of the very hot sire Walner out of Fastdownthehill, did not let post eight deter her from getting her first lifetime victory in an $11,700 trot for her age and sex. Pretty Interesting left wide and tucked, then came up first-over for driver Andrew McCarthy, went to the lead in the stretch, then held off the closing Riding Hill (driven by Todd) by a half-length in 1:56.3 for trainer Noel Daley and owners Rick and Regina Beinhauer and Thomas Pontone.
The Somebeachsomewhere gelding Sombodyitreasure, sent off at 1-5 after good races against better, seized the lead early in an $11,200 fast-class pace and controlled the tempo, but he was extended to hold the game 14-1 first-over challenger Billy Badger N by a neck in 1:50.2. Andrew McCarthy drove his second feature race winner of the day in guiding the Jenn Bongiorno trainee for Crawford Farms Racing.
Sunday’s headliner at Philly is a $22,500 winners-over pace, with a field of eight that cumulatively has earnings over $3 million and an average mark of 1:49. The early favourite is Southwind Ozzi, the 2019 Little Brown Jug winner who will be starting from the pole for trainer Bill Mac Kenzie. Program pages for the 12:40 card are available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)