By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Two Dan Patch divisional champions from 2021 will begin from the opposite ends of the starting gate in the “featured qualifier” at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.
 
In the ninth and final qualifier, Lyons Sentinel will start from the rail for trainer Jim King Jr. and driver Tim Tetrick. Champion of her division at two and four, the now-five-year-old daughter of Captaintreacherous, who has $2,003,594 in lifetime earnings, was second in a qualifier at Harrah’s Philly last Tuesday, pacing her last three-quarters in 1:23, and is likely to be even tighter for this mile.
 
Drawing outside in the field of six is another champion sired by Captaintreacherous, Allywag Hanover, beginning his five-year-old campaign for trainer Brett Pelling and driver Todd McCarthy. A winner of $942,000 last season, Allywag Hanover won in 1:46.4 at Lexington, and counted among his triumphs the TVG Final, the Allerage, the Canadian Pacing Derby, and the William Haughton and Sam McKee Memorials. 
 
Trainer Pelling will have Hammering Hank starting from the outside of a field of seven in another qualifier. Yet another offspring of Captaintreacherous, Hammering Hank was one of last year’s best freshman colts, winning eight of eleven starts and $283,218 while capturing the Kindergarten Final and the Pennsylvania Stallion Series Championship in addition to posting 2-4 finishes in the Breeders Crown. Dexter Dunn is listed to handle the returning three-year-old in his first appearance of 2022.
 
Post time for the qualifiers at Philly on Tuesday is 9:30 a.m. The Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen Association (https://www.phha.org/) should have video of all the qualifiers posted within a couple of hours of the completion of the morning session.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The sport’s “glamour division,” the three-year-old pacing colts, came to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Sunday for three $30,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event, and the most impressive – not necessarily because he had the fastest time, but the way he raced – was the Betting Line colt Night Hawk.
 
David Miller guided the sophomore up to the lead by a :27 quarter, and then got “average” (for these) splits of :55.4 and 1:23.4. The only foe hanging close was pocketsitter Captain Cowboy, and when Miller gave his colt a gentle wakeup call soon into the stretch, he responded with a :26.1 blitz home to complete the 1:50 mile, not looking like he was working hard at all. Captain Cowboy, to his credit, was only a length back, but Night Hawk always looked to be in control while establishing a lifetime best.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​​CHESTER PA -- The redoubtable Southwind Ozzi won his fourth straight race at Harrah’s Philadelphia Sunday afternoon, taking the $22,500 handicap pace in 1:50.
 
The track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, got the six-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere away third as Peace Out Posse put None Bettor A in behind him to a searing :26 quarter, then had him going again to move to the lead in front of the stands. Fast midsplits of :54.2 and 1:21.4 did not appear to affect “Ozzi” at all, as the 2019 Little Brown Jug, had nobody gaining threateningly on him late; Peace Out Posse saved second from the pocket, three lengths behind and a length ahead of closer Bee Two Bee.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The 13-year-old Melady’s Monet went over the $2 million mark in career earnings, boosting his bankroll to $2,005,198 with a 1:53.2 victory in the $22,500 handicap trot feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.
 
The track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, put the Revenue S gelding on the lead early and then was content to yield to Wild And Crazy Guy, coming off four straight victories at Yonkers, and sit in the pocket behind fractions of :27.2, :56, and 1:24.2. As they turned for home, Tetrick showed Melady’s Monet space along the inside, and the graybeard knew exactly what to do for the 84th time in his career, winning by     lengths over closing Vainqueur R P No.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Pennsylvania-sired state program returned to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday, with two divisions of Sire Stakes and four divisions of Stallion Series competition for three-year-old trotting fillies.
 
The division worth $67,591 proved the faster of the two, with the Bar Hopping filly Manon rallying gamely into a :27.3 last quarter to upend pacesetter Mon Cheval by a neck in a career best 1:53.3 for trainer Lucas Wallin and Harbor Racing Stable LLC.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – The Kadabra gelding Buzz, a gem of recent consistency with four wins and three seconds in his last seven starts, won an easy winner in the $12,500 fast-class featured trot at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The winner of his division of the Game Of Claims Series earlier this spring, Buzz was entered for the optional $20,000 claiming tag, and he won in probably the only way he knows – on the front end. Fractions of :27.3, :56.3, and 1:25.2 under Jim Pantaleano’s handling were more than too much for his opposition to handle, and he finished out his 1:54.2 mile 3¾ lengths to the good of Dylan The Great. Since being reclaimed on April 19 by trainer Joe Skowyra and owner Rocco Stebbins, Buzz has won two straight while taking his lifetime earnings to $432,674.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The three-year-old pacing filly Niki Hill, last year’s divisional champion, was a strong-finishing winner in her qualifier on Tuesday morning at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with two-time divisional champion Lyons Sentinel a rapidly-closing second in her first trip behind the starting gate this year in another qualifier.
 
The Always B Miki filly Niki Hill had cut the mile in her first seasonal qualifier only to be caught by half a length by Treacherous Dragon, who went on to win her 2022 purse debut at Pocono this past Sunday. In this event, Niki Hill was taken back to fifth in a six-horse field by driver Dexter Dunn, who unleashed her going down the backstretch and covered the last half with her in :55.1 - :26.4 to complete a 1:54.3 victory over a “+1 variant” racetrack in heavy winds. The winner of $904,557 has been brought to readiness by trainer Chris Ryder for owner Tom Hill.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Treacherous Dragon was very impressive in her 2022 debut, taking one of two $35,000 divisions of a Pennsylvania All-Stars event for three-year-old pacing fillies Sunday at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, with Weiss Series champion Silent Crossing winning her sixth straight in the other split.
 
Tim Tetrick got away midpack in a seven-horse field with Treacherous Dragon, as Sweet Kisses hustled away to get the lead well before a :28 quarter, only to yield to brushing Bet On The Bay in front of the stands, with the latter posting midrace splits of :57.1 and 1:25.2.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Two 2021 divisional champion pacing females, Niki Hill and Lyons Sentinel, will be in to qualify at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Tuesday morning.
 
Niki Hill, a sophomore daughter of Always B Miki – Road Bet, was the leading moneywinning two-year-old pacer of last year, winning $904,557 while victorious in nine of ten starts, including the She’s A Great Lady, the Breeders Crown final, the Kindergarten final, and the Three Diamonds. 
 
In her only racetrack appearance in 2022, Niki Hill set the pace at The Meadowlands, coming her back three-quarters in 1:24 only to be caught by a half-length by Treacherous Dragon, who won her 2022 pari-mutuel debut at Pocono on Sunday. Niki Hill has drawn post five in the second qualifier for trainer Chris Ryder and owner Tom Hill.
 
The five-year-old Captaintreacherous – Tutu Hanover mare Lyons Sentinel will make her 2022 first trip behind the starting gate when she starts from the rail in the ninth and final qualifier, with Tim Tetrick in his usual spot behind the Jim King Jr. trainee, who is owned by Threelyonsracing.
 
Lyons Sentinel has won the Dan Patch award as leader of her division at ages two and four, and her career bankroll is $2,003,594. She ended her 2021 campaign, during which she won ten times, with a victory in the TVG Mare Series final.
 
The qualifying races start at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Replays of the qualifiers should be up on the website https://www.phha.org/race-replays.htmlwithin two hours of the completion of the races.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Southwind Ozzi, the 2019 Little Brown Jug and Adios winner, showed there is still plenty of spring in his step at age six, surviving the rough first-over trip to win the $22,500 handicap pacing feature Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:49.4, tying for the fastest clocking of the season locally.
 
Tim Tetrick, who paraded home first six times before heading out late for stakes action at Pocono, got the son of Somebeachsomewhere away fourth as first favored J M Mandamin and then Joesstar Of Mia A went to the top in a :26.4 quarter, with the latter rolling on to midsplits of :54.1 and 1:22.1. Tetrick had Southwind Ozzi uncovered from the five-eighths and just kept grinding up towards the leader, finally getting by the determined pacesetter by a neck; J M Mandamin, after a good trip in the pocket, could only manage third.
 
Southwind Ozzi has now won three straight races at Philly while climbing the class ladder, and during his career he has 27 triumphs from 70 starts and earnings of $1,036,584 for trainer Bill Mac Kenzie and owners Vincent Ali Jr. and Alma Iafelice.
 
Lyons Steel didn’t look back in taking the $16.200 pacing co-feature in 1:52. The Rock N Roll Heaven gelding, who raised his earnings to $583,614 lifetime, and driver Simon Allard laid down splits of :27.3, :56.3, and 1:24.3 over a track where being on or near the lead was usually a key to success, then blitzed home in :27.2 to defeat pocketsitter Random Hanover by three-quarters of a length. Dennis Watson trains the gritty veteran for BD Racing LLC.
 
Harrah’s Philadelphia begins its usual four-card-a-week schedule (Wednesday-Thursday-Friday-Sunday) this coming Wednesday, which also marks the return of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series to the southeast Pennsylvania oval. Over $210,000 will be on the line in two Sire Stakes sections and four Stallion Series cuts. Program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.