There had been showers during the afternoon on Friday (June 23) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and the track condition had been downgraded from “fast” to “sloppy” after race seven, but after the tenth race post parade the rain turned into a deluge, to the extent that the rest of the day’s card at Philly was cancelled.
The featured events all took place while the track was still rated “fast,” a trio of $13,000 paces. In a conditioned contest for distaffs, the Panther Hanover mare Hot Mess Express ran her lifetime win ratio to 50 percent in her 50th start, moving to the lead past the quarter and winning by a length over pocketsitter Alta Madeira N in 1:51.3. George Napolitano Jr. drove the career winner of $903,315 for trainer Tony Alagna and owner Sam Bowie, a “local boy” (his hometown of Lebanon, Penn. is 65 miles away from Chester) and basketball great.
The other two $13,000 contests were for the track’s top claiming handicap horses. The faster went to JK Objection, who’s won three in a row, here finishing with a :27.2 last quarter to win in 1:50.4 by three-quarters of a length over a dogged Mudville. Simon Allard piloted the speedy JK Endofanera gelding for trainer Darren Taneyhill and owner Eric Prevost.
The other claiming section saw the Sweet Lou gelding Win Not Lou ship up from Harrington and master his field in 1:51.2, using the inside lane to catch the favoured pacesetter P L Leeroy by a half length for driver Marcus Miller, trainer Chuck Crissman Jr., and owners David Hamm and Owen Phillips.
Even with the track becoming “sloppy,” times were holding up well – in the race before the cancellation, Rockin On Venus was able to come his own back half in :54.1 uncovered to win. But the skies then opened wide, and racing was done for the day.
The racing will be back at Harrah’s Philly on Sunday, with a 12:40 p.m. start to the action. Program pages for all races at Harrah’s Philadelphia are or will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)