By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – The Thursday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia was full of both fast winning times and mutuel upsets; Dame Good Time’s 1:51.4 victory in the $13,000 feature trot fits both thematic categories.
Andy Miller had Dame Good Time flying away from the gait to assume command quickly, with favored Benjamin Hanover at the other end of the field after an early break. The victorious Chapter Seven gelding unfurled splits of :27.2, :55.2, and 1:22,4 and was just as fresh at the end of the mile as he was at the start, winning by 5½ lengths even though he had not started since November 19 at Dayton (OH). He paid $29.60 to win; driver Miller had three wins in all on Thursday to lead all horsepeople, and the other two win mutuels were $14.00 and $11.60.
Dame Good Time has had some moments in the racing sun. The now five-year-old won a Bluegrass division at two; at three he won the Zweig and upset the mighty Karl in the Championship race of the top level of the Kentucky program, where he took his mark of 1:50.3. He also has had different trainers in his four campaigns for owner John Cummins; it’s a bit ironic that Nicholas Devita, who is in charge of him in 2026, was his trainer for his first two qualifying starts before he changed barns, and now gets back a horse who could be of the very best quality.
There were three $12,000 contests for developing horses serving as co-features. The trotting division also went to Andy Miller with Just Teasing, a sophomore Captain Corey filly who improved one position off a second in her seasonal bow, lowering her mark to 1:55.2 for trainer/wife Julie Miller and the combine of Andy Miller Stable Inc., Jean Goehlen, and Windsong Stable.
There was a pacing co-feature for each sex. In the contest for males that concluded the card, the fastest time of the day, 1:51, was posted by the Sweet Lou three-year-old gelding Im A Real American, who posted a new mark . Driver Simon Allard sat unmasking through the stretch after his horse led throughout fractions of :27.1, :55.4, and 1:22.3. Per Engblom conditions Im A Real American for Evans Nation and Engblom Farm LLC.
The female co-featured pacers were topped by the Papi Rob Hanover filly Make It Right in 1:53.3. Tim Tetrick had to use the sophomore three-wide the entirety of the opening panel en route to making the top at the three-eighths, but Make It Right did everything right in the :56.1 - :27.4 back numbers to tally for trainer Jim King Jr. (Tetrick-King with another female pacer – watch out) and owners Gary McCandless, Jo Ann Looney-King, and Larry Rathbone.
Only three favorites won on the day, but bettors who adjusted early to driver Troy Beyer were amply rewarded. Beyer won the second race with Perla while paying $70.60, then came right back in the very next contest to front his field with Captain Cash at $51.00. Posting two winners paying $50+ in one day is very rare; doing it in consecutive contests is a testament to getting the most out of every drive.
In addition to Beyer’s and Andy Miller’s multi-win days, doubles were recorded by driver Simon Allard and Mark Herschberger, and trainer Annie Stoebe.
The week continues at Harrah’s Philadelphia with a 12:25 Friday card and a 12:40 Sunday program. Next week, Thursday will be a dark day because of a special 12:40 program on Kentucky Derby Saturday (May 2); the day before that, the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series make their 2026 debut with a leg for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – The Thursday afternoon card at Harrah’s Philadelphia was full of both fast winning times and mutuel upsets; Dame Good Time’s 1:51.4 victory in the $13,000 feature trot fits both thematic categories.
Andy Miller had Dame Good Time flying away from the gait to assume command quickly, with favored Benjamin Hanover at the other end of the field after an early break. The victorious Chapter Seven gelding unfurled splits of :27.2, :55.2, and 1:22,4 and was just as fresh at the end of the mile as he was at the start, winning by 5½ lengths even though he had not started since November 19 at Dayton (OH). He paid $29.60 to win; driver Miller had three wins in all on Thursday to lead all horsepeople, and the other two win mutuels were $14.00 and $11.60.
Dame Good Time has had some moments in the racing sun. The now five-year-old won a Bluegrass division at two; at three he won the Zweig and upset the mighty Karl in the Championship race of the top level of the Kentucky program, where he took his mark of 1:50.3. He also has had different trainers in his four campaigns for owner John Cummins; it’s a bit ironic that Nicholas Devita, who is in charge of him in 2026, was his trainer for his first two qualifying starts before he changed barns, and now gets back a horse who could be of the very best quality.
There were three $12,000 contests for developing horses serving as co-features. The trotting division also went to Andy Miller with Just Teasing, a sophomore Captain Corey filly who improved one position off a second in her seasonal bow, lowering her mark to 1:55.2 for trainer/wife Julie Miller and the combine of Andy Miller Stable Inc., Jean Goehlen, and Windsong Stable.
There was a pacing co-feature for each sex. In the contest for males that concluded the card, the fastest time of the day, 1:51, was posted by the Sweet Lou three-year-old gelding Im A Real American, who posted a new mark . Driver Simon Allard sat unmasking through the stretch after his horse led throughout fractions of :27.1, :55.4, and 1:22.3. Per Engblom conditions Im A Real American for Evans Nation and Engblom Farm LLC.
The female co-featured pacers were topped by the Papi Rob Hanover filly Make It Right in 1:53.3. Tim Tetrick had to use the sophomore three-wide the entirety of the opening panel en route to making the top at the three-eighths, but Make It Right did everything right in the :56.1 - :27.4 back numbers to tally for trainer Jim King Jr. (Tetrick-King with another female pacer – watch out) and owners Gary McCandless, Jo Ann Looney-King, and Larry Rathbone.
Only three favorites won on the day, but bettors who adjusted early to driver Troy Beyer were amply rewarded. Beyer won the second race with Perla while paying $70.60, then came right back in the very next contest to front his field with Captain Cash at $51.00. Posting two winners paying $50+ in one day is very rare; doing it in consecutive contests is a testament to getting the most out of every drive.
In addition to Beyer’s and Andy Miller’s multi-win days, doubles were recorded by driver Simon Allard and Mark Herschberger, and trainer Annie Stoebe.
The week continues at Harrah’s Philadelphia with a 12:25 Friday card and a 12:40 Sunday program. Next week, Thursday will be a dark day because of a special 12:40 program on Kentucky Derby Saturday (May 2); the day before that, the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series make their 2026 debut with a leg for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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