A longshot, AP Hall of Trix, and a favourite, Steel, emerged as the winners of the $14,400 co-featured “n/w 5 races” trots on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
The $470,000 yearling Glacier Hanover acted as if he were trying to earn that price back all at once, sailing out to the lead in :26.4, then rebuffing an attempt to control the pace by 1-9 favourite Pivotal to a :55 half. The outside challenger backed off mid-backstretch, and the pacesetter hit the three-quarters in 1:25, but he could not survive those fractions. Meanwhile, Pat Berry had gotten the Trixton gelding AP Hall Of Trix into the outside flow, went up behind it as led by a rejuvenated Pivotal, then went wide to the lead and held off Big Sky Ex by half-length in 1:56.1 for owner/trainer David Hoover.
AP Hall Of Trix paid $121.00 to win.
Steel, a 1-2 favourite, went out to the lead for driver Tyler Miller just before a :28 quarter, and then he too had to dealing with an early brusher in SJs Lady Lou, with the two hitting the half in :56.2. That pace proved too much for pocket-sitting Pilot Hanover, who broke at that point, with SJs Lady Lou going into the two-hole before eventually fading. The Chapter Seven sophomore gelding Steel, meanwhile, went to the three-quarters in 1:25.4, then had enough to deal with the late kick of Boom Boom Bay by 2-3/4 lengths while reducing his record to 1:54.3. Julie Miller conditions the winner of $207,611 for the ownership of Pinske Stables and Crawford Farm Racing.
Steel paid $3.00 to win.
For much of the $13,000 fast-class trot, Bluffiner looked like he would be tough to overhaul, carrying an open-length lead from before the half to the far turn, but then a 20-day layoff caught up with him, and the pocket-sitting Swan In Motion picked up the pace and went by easily in 1:54.1. The Indiana star, a son of Swan For All trained by Dylan Davis, has now earned $478,735, with $81.890 of that total for owner Howard Taylor since he was purchased after his 2020 Breeders Crown elimination.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)