CHESTER PA – On a Wednesday afternoon when the Harrah’s Philadelphia oval was favoring forwardly-placed horses, driver Tim Tetrick sent the pacing mare Affluent Seelster to the lead in front of the stands, then held off the inside drive of the horse they had looped early, Take Abit Of Life, by a head to post a new mark of 1:53 while winning the $12,800 distaff feature.
The daughter of Mach Three now has three victories in only five seasonal outings, and she increased his lifetime earnings to $61,849 for trainer Paul Stafford and the partnership of Stafford Racing Inc. and Thomas Ceraso Jr.
Sail By, who took a mark of 1:50.4 at Lexington in her freshman campaign, made her first start as a sophomore a winning one in 1:51.2. The speed/pocket theme held in this event as well: Sail By worked her way to command past Tuapeka Jessie N past the quarter, then withstood that one’s outside bid through the lane by a half-length. The winning daughter of Captaintreacherous won for driver Andrew McCarthy, trainer Tony Alagna, and Brittany Farms LLC.