Hard To Catch enjoyed a nice ride in the two-hole, then finished strongly to take the $18,243 handicap pacing feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 29.
The Sweet Lou sophomore gelding, trained by Britney Dillon for owners Howard Taylor and William Hartt, got away swiftest, then yielded late on the turn to sit in the golden chair behind non-taxing fractions of :28.1, :56.4 and 1:25.2. When the passing lane became available, Hard To Catch went to that path and seized the lead about three pylons from the finish, holding off Sandradimples by a neck in 1:53.
The win was one of three on the day for driver George Napolitano Jr., who now has reclaimed the local dash-winning lead from Tim Tetrick by a 115-113 margin. Bradley Chisholm also had three successes on the day.
The co-feature was an $15,541 handicap pace for high-priced claimers, raced as the first event on the Sunday card. The Artspeak gelding Outclassed teamed successfully with driver Tony Morgan for the second straight week, setting all the pace en route to a victory in 1:52.1 for trainer Kevin Lare and owner Holton Gannon Jr.
There had been no horses paying $50 or more to win at Harrah’s Philly in September, and indeed only three since July 14. That last-named quantity was equalled on Sunday’s card.
Seeyou At Thebeach, who set the pace in a Jug elim in finishing second to Catch The Fire (and then was fifth in the final), earned a mention in a recap story four years later when he paid $60 to win under Bradley Chisholm’s guiding.
George Napolitano Jr. was still last in early stretch with Doubleornothing N before summoning a huge finish to return $58.80 to his scattered backers later on the card.
Between those two prices, Captain Hansen shot up the inside for driver Troy Beyer to post the fastest clocking on a dank day, 1:50.4, and also post a $66.60 win mutuel. The pair had succeeded at a $58.40 price on May 19. With the victory, now Captain Hansen and Common Parlance are the only horses to twice pay $50+ at the meet, and Beyer leads all sulkysmiths with three such victories.
Yogi Sheridan found the winner’s circle twice, yet again, in the last two $10,135 divisions for the American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) while Geovany Hernandez won the other division. Sheridan started his late Daily Double sweep with a pillar-to-post job with the Paul Roy-trained pacer Sand Sniper in a 1:53.4 mile then vaulted first-over off fast fractions to get Izzy Estrada's pacer Ship Wreck Beach K home first in 1:54.2. In the other amateur driving series division, Geovany Hernandez grabbed the lead with his own pacer Captain Terminator and never looked back in a 1:53.3 effort.
Harrah’s Philadelphia now takes a brief break in its live racing schedule, with the trotters and pacers returning to the track on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 12:40 p.m. There will be a $2,803.94 carryover into the first race Pick 4 when racing resumes.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia & AHDC)