Super Duper Cooper sat in the pocket during the $22,222 Winners Over Handicap Trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on “Trottin’ Thursday," Sept. 17, then came on in the stretch to go past the pacesetter by three-quarters of a length in 1:53.
Super Duper Cooper left for the top early then yielded to Little Expensive (Tyler Miller) as that one carried on to the quarter in :28.1, then got a big-time breather to reach the half in :58.4. With favoured Hey Porter (Mark Herschberger), a stablemate of Super Duper Cooper, coming on raw down the backstretch, Little Expensive summoned a :26.3 third panel to keep control, reaching the three quarters in 1:25.2. And even though the leader added on a :27.4 last quarter, completing his own back half in :54.2, Super Duper Cooper stayed connected in the pocket then moved out and completed his own last half in :54, which proved to be more than enough to take this contest. Hey Porter was third.
George Napolitano Jr. had the drive behind the winning E L Titan-Pink Power five-year-old gelding, who now has won $725,045 in his career and five of his last seven starts, for trainer Enrico Robinson and Pollack Racing LLC. Super Duper Cooper is now 20-for-78 lifetime. The win price was $5.20.
The $18,058 second-level fast-class conditioned trot also produced another pocket rocket and the second of three training wins on the day for Åke Svanstedt. Kierkegaard K ($3), a six-year-old son of Chapter Seven-Gone Baby Gone S, rode the two-hole behind fractions of :27, :56.4 and 1:25.3, then moved to the inside for Svanstedt and methodically trotted to the fore to register a victory in 1:54.3. Despite being away from the races for 33 days, the trotter was well-prepared by Svanstedt and ready to go for Knutsson Trotting Inc.
Trotters on the way up the class ladder contested an $18,750 race, and this one was also taken by Svanstedt, who put a new mark of 1:54 on the heavily favoured Create Escape ($2.20). The victorious sophomore son of Gimpanzee-Final Countdown had to surmount the difficult tuck-then-first-over trip in a race with :28.1, :58 and 1:25.3 splits, but he powered his own back half in :55.2 to be a decisive winner for the Create Escape Stable.
In all driver-trainer Svanstedt had three wins in each category. The recent inductee into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame is 89-for-444 this season.
The only other doubler on the 15-race card was driver George Napolitano Jr.
The U.S. Harness Horse of the Year of 2024, Twin B Joe Fresh, comes to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon for the 12:25 p.m. card, starting from the outside in the field of seven in the $16,000 USD Fillies and Mares Winners Over Handicap Pace. There will also be a carryover into the first-race Pick Four wager.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia; photo of Super Duper Cooper winning on Aug. 22)