Some of the best three-year-old pacers and trotters will be on hand for a blockbuster card this Sunday (September 7) at Harrah's Philadelphia. Four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes will be contested, each of which will carry a purse of $260,000.
The three-year-old filly trotting championship is headlined by Brittany Farm's Lifetime Pursuit (Cantab Hall-Queen Of Grace). The Jimmy Takter trainee has banked over $750,000 in her career and has won 12 of her 22 lifetime starts. The Hambletonian Oaks winner is coming off of an impressive performance in the Simcoe at Mohawk Racetrack and is looking to extend her winning streak to five. Other contenders include the runner-up in the Hambo Oaks Designed To Be (Donato Hanover-Sheer Soul) who is also coming off of a victory in a division of the Simcoe at Mohawk, and Take The Money (Donato Hanover-Repititions) who finished third in the Hambo Oaks.
Millionaire trotter Father Patrick (Cantab Hall-Gala Dream) headlines the three-year-old colt and gelding trot. Considered by many as the top trotter in the country, Father Patrick made an uncharacteristic break in the Hambletonian as the heavy favourite. After getting upset in the Tompkins-Geers at Tioga, he quickly got back on track with a win in the Zweig Memorial at Vernon. Top threats include another millionaire trotter in stablemate Nuncio (Andover Hall-Nicole Isabelle) who was a heartbreaking second to Trixton in the Hambo, and Datsyuk (Explosive Matter-Pink Ribbons) who upset Father Patrick at Tioga.
The three-year-old filly pacing championship figures to be a wide-open affair. Bradley Grant's Sandbetweenurtoes (Somebeachsomewhere-Als Girl) has won eight of nine races, including a game win in the Mistletoe Shalee at the Meadowlands. Ron Burke trainee Allstar Rating (Four Starzzz Shark-Credit Rating) was sharp at the Meadows in victory three starts back, and that was followed up by a tough loss to Sandbetweenurtoes in PASS action at Pocono. Dave Menary trainee Beach Gal (Somebeachsomewhere-Trinity Islands) was flying in the stretch at Mohawk last start in the Simcoe. She is also a PASS winner, with several sub 1:50 efforts under her belt.
S S G Stable's McWicked (McArdle-Western Sahara) is the probable favourite in the three-year-old colt and gelding championship. The Adios winner is coming off of a victory in PASS action at the Meadows. The Casie Coleman trainee has a chance to surpass the million-dollar mark in career earnings with a first or a second-place finish. Contenders include Limelight Beach (Somebeachsomewhere-Benear) who is coming off of back-to-back near misses in the Millstein Consolation and a PASS event; Somewhere In L A (Somebeachsomewhere-West Of L A) who is coming off of a narrow defeat at the hands of McWicked in a PASS event last time out; and Sometimes Said (Well Said-Lady Sometimes), who has won three races in a row since a difficult journey hampered his chances in the Meadowlands Pace.
First-race post time at Harrah's Philadelphia is 12:40 p.m.
(Harrah’s Philadelphia)