Joshua Graber's Stars Align A strung stakes winner Ruthless Hanover out through a :26.4 first quarter, and then surged up the pegs from the pocket to record a 1:49.1 win in Sunday's (Sept. 19) $16,200 pacing feature at Harrah's Philadelphia.
The eight-year-old Art Major stallion won the race to the first turn over A Major Omen before yielding for a pocket ride behind Ruthless Hanover, whom George Napolitano Jr. worked to the fore from post 7 with just over a lap to go. After drafting through middle splits of :54.3 and 1:22, Joe Bongiorno made his move with Stars Align A up the open stretch, surging to collar Ruthless Hanover in the final 70 yards and winning by three-quarters of a length. A Major Omen finished third.
Jenn Bongiorno trains Stars Align A, a 40-time winner with $568,567 in earnings. He paid $5 to win.
Troy Beyer took top driving honors on the 11-race card, sweeping the final three events of the afternoon. After being elevated to first with 70-1 shot Sweet Talker ($143.60) in the ninth, the Illinois native steered Rocks Noble Artist ($18.40, 1:52.3) and Dontustopbelievn N ($17.00, 1:54).
Racing returns to Harrah's Philadelphia with a 14-race card on Thursday (Sept. 23), featuring three $30,000 divisions of the Liberty Bell for two-year-old trotting fillies and a single $57,000 Liberty Bell split for rookie pacing colts and geldings. First post is 12:25 p.m. (EDT).
(Harrah's Philadelphia)