By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – On a blustery Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia where the track was rated “fast” but a one-second allowance was given for the elements, Jula Muscle Pack introduced himself to local fans in fine style, with the sophomore son of Muscle Hill winning in 1:57.1 in the $15,300 featured trot.
 
George Napolitano Jr. moved the colt to command past a :29 quarter, backed off the half to :59, passed the three-quarters in 1:27.4 and then darted home without much trouble, with Bang Bang Boinga               coming out second, three lengths behind. Per Engblom trains the winner of $145,201 for Jula Racing Inc. 
 
Co-featured were a pair of $14,400 events, one on each gait. The pace was restricted to males, and it went to the Sweet Lou sophomore gelding Dance It Out in 1:54. Driver Tim Tetrick, who led all Philly drivers with three victories on the day, sent the three-year-old to command early, yielded to Stunners Wish to sit the pocket, saw the pacesetter keep the first-over parked, then had enough time to rally up the inside to catch that speedy rival by 1½ lengths while winning his second straight for trainer Bill Mac Kenzie and owners Vincent Ali Jr. and Alma Iafelice.
 
On the trot, the Guccio gelding Bluebird Rocky handled the rough tuck-then-first-over trip, grinding down leader Givem The Goo en route to a 2½ length tally in 1:57, with the favorite coming his own back half in :56.4. Tony Morgan drove the talented winner for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
 
Sunday’s 12:40 card featured a pair of $16,200 paces, one for each sex, with higher moneywinners handicapped outside; a pair who have enjoyed much success at Philly, the distaff Shes Pukka N and the 2019 Jug winner Southwind Ozzi, are the early favorites. Program pages for Sunday’s card will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – 26-year-old driver Troy Beyer showed the cool of a seasoned sulkysitter in guiding Gingertree Stakias to a lifetime mark of 1:56.3 in the $14,400 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Despite brisk weather, the front end had been holding well, so Beyer moved Gingertree Stakias to the lead past a :28.3 opening panel, then got a breather to a :58.3 half. Down the backstretch, however, second choice Big Sky Ex made a big rush at the favorite, and Beyer chose to let that rival go by without a fight, keeping his horse on the bit to and past a 1:27 three-quarters. In the stretch, Gingertree Stakias again moved outside, and the Explosive Matter gelding had enough to win by three-quarters of a length over inside-shooting Storm Bringer, with Big Sky Ex holding for third, another three-quarters of a length back. 
 
Gingertree Stakias, who paid $87.60 in winning at this level last week, rewarded the faith of the public this time as he won his third race in his last five. Owner/trainer Jim Groff has been red-hot as of late, with “Stakias” keeping up the trend. As for Beyer, the feature was his third victory of the afternoon, at which figure he was joined by Simon Allard and Yannick Gingras.
 
There will be no live racing on Thursday at Harrah’s Philadelphia so that horsemen and employees can enjoy Thanksgiving with their family and friends. On Friday’s 12:25 card, Jula Muscle Pack has been established as the 8-5 favorite in the $15,300 featured trot, starting from the rail for driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Per Engblom. . Program pages for the card are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – On a cool day at Harrah’s Philadelphia that helped neither front-end horses nor favorites, 12-1 shot Bountiful Brittney was given a fine drive by the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, and won the $14,400 featured trot in 1:56, a time which matched her lifetime mark.
 
Tetrick settled the Swan For All mare in third behind favored Illuminata and Givem The Goo as the former put up factions of :27.3, :57.1, and 1:25.4. First-up Boom City made a big first-over move approaching the far turn and took the lead nearing headstretch, with Tetrick able to slide out behind that one and then wider. Bountiful Brittney kicked home well to win by  three-quarters of a length over Givem The Goo, who came up the inside to photo Boom City for second. Bountiful Brittney is trained by John Cabot for owners Howard and Joshua Kaufman.
 
The same biases held up in the $11,200 fast-class pace, as odds-on favorite Bechers Brook A made the lead past a :27 quarter and continued on to post midsplits of :56.1 and 1:23.1. But Nutcracker Sweet was waiting patiently in the pocket, and the son of Bettors Delight had sufficient rally to go past the leader by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.1 for driver Pat Berry (top driver on the day with three victories), raising his lifetime bankroll to $476,789 for the brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere. 
 
Sunday’s headliner at Philly is a $16,200 conditioned pace, with Sugartown the early favorite from post five for driver Tim Tetrick coming off two seconds, behind Covered Bridge in a 1:50 mile at Rosecroft and locally two starts ago in this company in a 1:50.1 mile against Tito Rocks. The last card of the racing week at Harrah’s Philadelphia will take place Sunday at 12:40. Program pages for Sunday’s card are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Father Patrick gelding Blazing Trail proved to have the most late in winning the $15,300 headline trot on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:57.2.
 
Dazzling Reign, favored despite having only two races since September 5, took advantage of the rail and seated all her rivals, hitting the first two splits in :28 and :58.3. Slated To Win mounted a big third quarter move to go up after the lead to the 1:27 three-quarters, with Blazing Trail following second-over. Almost the entire field was in a contending position turning for home, but it was Blazing Trail who got to the wire first, with the gallant Dazzling Reign holding for second, three-quarters of a length behind, and Slated To Win just another half-length back in third. Simon Allard drove the winner for owner/trainer Ken Tisa.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Troy Beyer, who’s been King Of The Harrah’s Philadelphia Longshot Drivers in the second half of this year, struck again in the $14,400 featured trot on Wednesday afternoon, guiding Gingertree Stakias to an $87.60 upset while equaling his mark of 1:57. 
 
The Explosive Matter gelding got away last from the outside post eight, then was hustled out and up by Beyer before the half to reach third-over position. When his cover stalled midturn, Beyer sent Gingertree Stakias three-wide and moved into contention; favored Keeper Of Secrets went inside pacesetting Big Sky Ex for the late drive, but Gingertree Stakias still got the job done for trainer/owner Jim Groff, with Keeper Of Secrets a head back and Big Sky Ex a length in arrears of those two.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Seven of the nine non-feature races held at Harrah’s Philadelphia over off going on Friday afternoon saw the leader at the half go on to victory – but such was the case in none of the three featured races, each worth $12,600.
 
On the trot, the Andover Hall gelding Choco’s Choice was kept third-inside by driver David Miller (who led the local driving colony Friday with three winners), then was sent up the passing lane to post a two length victory over 23-1 shot Integer in 1:58.1. The winner has now won four of his last seven starts for trainer Jim Groff and owner Bernard O’Brien.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Big Nudge continues to find his best lifetime form late in his four-year-old season, as the gelding overcame a tough first-over trip with relative ease to win the $15,300 featured trot on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:55.4.
 
A son of Donato Hanover out of the $700G-winning mare Victors Vicky, Big Nudge, not the quickest of starters, got away fifth in the six-horse field, and was started uncovered in front of the stands the first time. Guided by George Napolitano Jr., who had three victories on the day, Big Nudge proceeded to grind up to pacesetting SVF Blushingbride down the backstretch and went by on the turn, then had enough to withstand a closing Cocktails N Dreams by 1½ lengths for trainer Symon Spicer, also co-owner with George Beck and Michael Sherman Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Harrah’s Philadelphia condition sheet had horses who are “non-winners of 5 races” set to be the feature performers for the Wednesday afternoon program. The trotters gathered a full field, and raced for $14,400; neither the male nor female pace had enough entrants to fill a field, so they were handicapped to the outside posts and raced against “nw3” horses in $12,600 contests.
 
In the trot, the Muscle Massive mare Spree took advantage of an opportunistic drive by Todd McCarthy while reducing her mark to 1:56.2. Coming around the final turn three-wide and looking like she might have to tip four-deep – not a usual route to victory at Philly – Spree and McCarthy got a literal break as pocketsitter Red Redemption went offstride, allowing the pair to duck down to the inside to edge Vinny De Vie by a neck. A 28-1 proposition, Spree triumphed for trainer Trish Adams and owner Dante Scattolini.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Father Patrick sophomore filly Sister Christina, who had had three wins and two seconds prior to miscuing in her previous start, bounced back in a big way on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning the $14,400 featured trot in 1:56.2.
 
Corey Callahan wanted the lead with Sister Christina and worked most of the :28.3 quarter to wrest the lead from favored Ceffyl Dwr, then rated the half to :58.3. The filly increased her speed to hit the three-quarters in 1:27, but could not shake off the opposition – indeed, she had several coming at her in the lane, but she found enough to take a three-quarter victory of Ceffyl Dwr, with Givem The Goo, stuck with the tuck-then-first-over journey photoed out of the deuce. Jim Campbell trains the winner for Coyote Wynd Farms.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Father Patrick colt Pivotal was parked past the quarter to get the lead in the $15,300 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon, but once he got there he would not surrender the advantage while lowering his mark to 1:54.
 
On a day not conducive to racing on the front end, trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer got the three-year-old to the top past Goo Doo Doll past a :28 quarter, made the half in :56.4, held off a first-over challenge by favored Big Nudge past a 1:25.1 three-quarters, then remained in control to defeat pocketsitting Goo Doo Doll by a half-length; Big Nudge was another three-quarters of a length behind in third. Pivotal is co-owned by Smedshammer’s American Viking Racing Stable in partnership with Purple Haze Stables LLC.