By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Dandy Ideal, a freshman American Ideal gelding out of OK Heavenly, won in “nw2” company during the Monday afternoon card at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania,, with his final time of 1:51.1 only three fifths of a second off the Pocono track record for his division, the 1:50.3 set by Yankee Bounty ten years ago.
 
Dandy Ideal, driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Jenny Melander and owner Exceed Stables LLC, was wide early then spotted third before a :27 quarter, brushed to the lead in front of the stands and put up midsplits of :56 and 1:23.2, then closed out strongly in the speedy mile. Surprisingly, the 1:51.1 was not a mark for Dandy Ideal – he broke his maiden winning a NY Excelsior race at Vernon in 1:50.4.
 
Another very fast mile came in a second-level conditioned pace, with the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Ideal Beach sticking close in the two-hole behind scorching fractions of :26.4, :54.4, and 1:22.4 put up by favored Pyrenees Hanover, then moving out for the drive and catching that foe by  a length while taking a mark of 1:50.1. Ridge Warren guided the winner for trainer Bill MacKenzie and owners Alma Iafelice and Vincent Ali Jr.
 
Matt Kakaley and George Napolitano Jr., who between them have won the last fourteen Pocono driving win championships (George eleven, Matt three including the last two), continue  to be 1-2 atop the 2024 standings, and each captured a division of the $15,000 trotting class. Kakaley made it two in a row in th faster split when the Cantab Hall three-year-old gelding Breezy Hall won in 1:54.4 for trainer Philip Scott Sonsteby and the partnership of Bay Pond Racing Stable and Philip Scott Racing Stable, while Napolitano parlayed a perfect second-over trip with Sir Hiss, a sophomore altered son of Muscle Hill, into a 1:56 victory for trainer Neal Ehrhart and owner Jaypaul Hoover.
 
For the day, Napolitano had four wins, Kakaley three.
 
The racing week closes out at Pocono with a 1 p.m. program on Tuesday; there will be four $15,000 features, two on each gait. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Hard To Catch enjoyed a nice ride in the two-hole, then finished strongly to take the $13,500 handicap pacing feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Sweet Lou sophomore gelding, trained by Britney Dillon for owners Howard Taylor and William Hartt, got away swiftest, then yielded late on the turn to sit in the golden chair behind non-taxing fractions of :28.1, :56.4, and 1:25.2. When the inside stretch lane became available, Hard To Catch went to that path and seized the lead about three pylons from the finish, holding off Sandradimples by a neck.
 
The win was one of three on the day for driver George Napolitano Jr., who now has reclaimed the local dashwinning lead from Tim Tetrick by a 115-113 margin. Bradley Chisholm also had three successes on the day. Both drivers will get one further mention, below.
 
The co-feature was an $11,500 handicap pace for high-priced claimers, raced as the first event on the Sunday card. The Artspeak gelding Outclassed teamed successfully with driver Tony Morgan for the second straight week, setting all the pace en route to a victory in 1:52.1 for trainer Kevin Lare and owner Holton Gannon Jr.
 
There had been no horses paying $50 or more to win at Harrah’s Philly in September, and indeed only three since July 14. That last-named quantity was equaled on Sunday’s card.
 
Seeyou At Thebeach, who set the pace in a Jug elim in finishing second to Catch The Fire (and then was fifth in the final), earned a mention in a recap story four years later when he paid $60.00 to win under Bradley Chisholm’s guiding. George Napolitano Jr. was still last in early stretch with Doubleornothing N (trained by meet leader Dean Eckley) when that pacer summoned a huge finish to return $58.80 to his scattered backers.
 
And in between Captain Hansen shot up the inside for driver Troy Beyer to post the fastest clocking on a dank day, 1:50.4, and also post a $66.60 win mutuel. The pair had succeeded at a $58.40 price on May 19; now Captain Hansen and Common Parlance are the only horses to twice pay $50+ at the meet, and Beyer leads all sulkysmiths with three such victories.
 
 Harrah’s Philadelphia now takes a brief break in its live racing schedule, with the trotters and pacers returning to the track on Sunday, October 13 at 12:40 p.m.; there will be a $2803.94 carryover into the first race Pick 4 when racing resumes. During the dark days, simulcasting will be available, including for the big final-day card from Lexington Grand Circuit next Sunday, October 6.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Saulsbrook Victor, a winner in Open handicap company at Woodbine Mohawk in his last start, translated his sharp form upon coming south of the border, winning the $18,500 fast-class handicap pace in 1:48.3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon.
 
Driver Brett MacDonald, co-owner of the winner with Brent Maclennan,  had the Source Of Pride gelding flying from the start, clearing to the lead nearing the :26.1 quarter despite the outside post eight, and kept on rolling through fractions of :53.3 and 1:20.4. With his rivals struggling to keep up the last five sixteenths, Saulsbrook Victor, now a winner of $437,583, won handily for trainer Ron MacDonald.
 
In the quicker of a pair of $17,000 trots for developing horses, the Muscle Mass gelding Deadline Hall went right to the lead and laughed at whatever challenges thrown at him, be they two-wide (before the quarter), three-wide (by the three eighths) or four-wide (from late backstretch), en route to a 1:52.4 lifetime best. George Napolitano Jr. guided the Jeff Cullipher trainee for Pollack Racing LLC.
 
“George Nap” also captured the other division of this trotting class, as the International Moni sophomore gelding Dejerate Hanover rolled to his seventh straight victory, quarter-moving to command and holding his opposition safe in 1:53.3. Three of the septet of wins have come since moving over to trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, FAC Racing LLC, and Yannick Gingras. Driver Napolitano had five wins on the day; trainer Burke, Pocono’s winningest trainer, had three, including two in collaboration with George.
 
There was also a $17,000 event for developing male pacers, with Vengeance Blue Chip, off 22 days, able to set a slow pace to the half, then outsprint his rivals in stopping the timer in 1:51.3. The Joe Pavia Jr. trainee, a Captaintreacherous sophomore gelding owned by Vincent Ferriero Jr., John Whitig, Donald Keyser, and Pint Size Racing LLC, was part of the George Napolitano Jr. five-bagger.
 
In the $16,500 pace for high-priced claiming pacers, Kevin Wallis kept the Christian Cullen gelding Hesa Kingslayer N off of a hotly-contested early pace, followed the move of clearing first-over A Fair Ol Dance N and got to retuck in the pocket nearing the far turn, then caught his fellow Enzed up the inside to post a 20-1 upset in 1:51.3. Trainer Mike Deters co-owns the opportunistic winner with Joel Warner.
 
Pocono will be racing live programs on Monday and Tuesday, with both having first posts of 1 p.m.; a pair of $15,000 trots for up-and-coming diamondgaiters will be featured on the Monday program. Free Pocono program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The International Moni gelding Khaosan Road added back-to-back fast-class feature trot wins at Harrah’s Philadelphia to his impressive resume, on Thursday just surviving the inside charge of Chake to prevail in 1:52.4.
 
Chake had a brief early advantage from an inner post over the heavy favorite in the $14,000 headlining handicap affair, then yielded for the two-hole to Khaosan Road and driver George Napolitano Jr. through fractions of :28.2, :57.4, and 1:25. The winner briefly gained some clearance on the far turn, but Chake dug in and kept grinding relentlessly, with Khaosan Road able to hold him off by a nose for trainer Åke Svanstedt and owners Knutsson Trotting Inc. and Little E LLC.
 
The $12,000 fast-class subfeature handicap trot was won by Ritson, who covered a lot of early real estate from his outside post six starting assignment, but once on top didn’t have much trouble, rolling home in 1:53.4. Ridge Warren drove the victorious son of Cantab Hall for trainer Noel Daley and Allister Stables LLC.
 
There were four other $12,000 races for developing youngsters: one on the pace and three on the trot. The contest for sidewheelers went to Tamworth Boy (All Bets Off), who put it all together in his second start for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC, taking the lead in front of the stands and coming his own last three quarters in 1:22.4 in lowering his mark to 1:51.2 under the guidance of George Napolitano Jr.
 
Among the trotters, Jet Zette (International Moni) continued his improvement for his co-owners, driver Troy Beyer and trainer Katie Gangell, lowering his lifetime best to 1:55.1; Thinker Monkey (Chapter Seven) won in 1:55.2 for driver Simon Allard, trainer Marcus Melander, and owners Order By Stable AB and Daniel Plouffe; and the Frank Ingrassia-trained Fore And After (Cantab Hall) is now a winner of three straight for driver Jackie Ingrassia and her ownership partner Donna Franchetti after recording a 1:55.4 mark.
 
Simon Allard and Ridge Warren both won four races on the afternoon, each of them winning for four different trainers – although they both drove one for the only trainer to double, Marcus Melander.
 
Racing continues at Philly with a special Friday evening card at 6:30 and a Sunday program at 12:40; both cards have feature races challenging for the handicapper. After the Sunday card, Harrah’s Philly will take a brief break, and will be back for live harness racing on Sunday, October 13; simulcasting will be available. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA -- $15,000 was on the line in each of the three features conducted Tuesday afternoon at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Two of the highlighted races were for developing horses, one on each gait. In the pace, the Sweet Lou gelding Yankee Clout was sent right to the lead for Team Whelan – driver Michael and trainer Walter – and went coast-to-coast, fending off late-charger and pocketsitting favorite Captain Caveman by a neck. Yankee Clout reduced his mark three full seconds to 1:52.2 with the triumph for owner Christopher Nicol.
 
In the conditioned trotting feature, the Chapter Seven gelding It Wasn’t Me, fresh off a triumph in the NY Excelsior final, made a quick midrace move to the top and stayed in control from there, with longshot pocketsitter Shiny New Penny doing well to stay within a length at the wire in the 1:55 mile. Matt Kakaley drove the winner for trainer Michelle Warner and owner Big Sky Ranch.
 
The other feature was for high-priced claiming trotters in a handicap event. The winner, the Triumphant Caviar mare Allsummerlong AS, had to overcome the rough tuck-then-first-over trip, but her determination carried her past another favorite, the pacesetting Jive Ninety Five, by a half length in 1:56. Braxten Boyd drove the Jenny Melander-trained winner for owner Jose Cervantes.
 
For the second straight day at Pocono the statistics were uprooted from the norm; on Tuesday back-to-back longshots Space Cadebt ($71.60) and Barn Credit ($75.20) both overcame post eight. In fact, post eight, normally with a win rate of 7.9%, generated a rate of 50% today, as five of the ten starters from the outermost spot were successful (and another was second). In contrast, the chalk normally clicks at 44.5% at the mountain oval, but today the three favored winners represented only a 21.4% success ratio.
 
Anthony Napolitano and Jim Pantaleano recorded driving triples Tuesday.
 
Racing resumes at Pocono Saturday with a solid card from top to bottom, the best example being the tenth race $18,500 fast-class handicap pace feature, with four of the eight entrants coming off of wins below 1:50 in their last start. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Outclassed sat behind the pace of favored Outwin Outrun until the far turn of the $11,000 featured pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, then won the stretch battle of the “Out” horses by a half-length in 1:50.2, a new mark.
 
The victorious altered son of Artspeak, owned by Holton Gannon Jr., boosted his career earnings to $200,529 with the win for driver Tony Morgan, the 17,734th of his distinguished career. The victory surely provided a needed good moment to trainer Kevin Lare, whose popular father, horseman John “Tink” Lare, passed away a week ago.
 
There were a pair of $9500 co-featured paces. In one, the Mach Three gelding Aussie Scooter A ran his record to three-for-four since moving to the barn of Philly’s leading trainer Dean Eckley, lowering his mark to 1:49.4 with a powerful engine triumph that turned back hard-luck Boardwalk Bet by a half-length. Martin Valencic owns the rejuvenated pacer, and George Napolitano Jr. drove him, part of a driving double that has brought “George Nap” within 113-110 of Philly’s top sulkysitter Tim Tetrick.
 
In the other co-feature, the Sweet Lou mare Lou’s Lucky Girl sat in the two-hole behind frontstepping Doing Marvelous, then caught that one by a half-length in 1:52.3. Simon Allard drove the winner for trainer Joe Columbo and the ownership of George & Tina Dennis Racing and Curtis Larrimore.
 
In addition to Napolitano, amateur driver Newton “Yogi” Sheridan and trainer Izzy Estrada each recorded two wins, including pairing up to take the finale. “Yogi” won two of the races for amateur drivers during the card, and came within a neck of sweeping the AHDC’s three contests.
 
This coming week Harrah’s Philadelphia will race on Thursday afternoon at 12:25, Friday evening at 6:30, and Sunday afternoon at 12:40. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Stone Hanover made perfect use of the famed Pocono Pike on Saturday afternoon to take the $18,500 fast-class pacing feature in a lifetime best 1:49.2 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.
 
Stone Hanover, a son of Art Major trained by Joe Pavia Jr. for Steven Held, John Whitig, Joe Pavia Jr. Stable Inc., and Bridgette Jablonsky, stepped around Big Skewy N leaving, but yielded command to that retaking rival, the slight 2-1 favorite, nearing a :27 quarter, with the Enzed pacer going to the lead with his head skewed slightly to the right. Big Skewy N continued past a :54.4 half, then encountered pressure from fellow 2-1 shot Soaring Now before going to the 1:22.2 three-quarters.
 
Big Skewy N turned for home with the lead, with his head still slightly to the right – and with the last pylon before the Pocono Pike, dislodged by someone in the backfield the first time around, directly in front of him. The leader went over the fallen stanchion and paced on (no interference mark was given), with Stone Hanover (third choice at 5-2) ducking inside him to the passing lane, and gradually forging a half-length lead in the late Nap-Nap battle: Anthony driving the winner, and George behind Big Skewy N. Stone Hanover’s career bankroll is now $388,408.
 
There were a trio of $17,000 events for developing horses supporting the feature class. The one of the three on the pace saw De La Hoya Hanover, winner of the PA Stallion Series Final at 5-2, battling with Rush In, second at 84-1 in the PA Sire Stakes final (after Captain Albano, the Jug winner, made a break). This contest went to the Stay Hungry gelding De La Hoya Hanover (9-1 off the win), coming from the pocket after stinging an onrushing Rush In (8-5) most of the second quarter, then catching the pacesetter by a nose in a lifetime mark of 1:49.4. Simon Allard sulkysat behind the Joe Bongiorno trainee for Jennifer Bongiorno Stable LLC, Robert Weinstein, and Barbara Bongiorno Stable LLC.
 
The International Moni sophomore gelding Dejerate Hanover boosted his winning streak to six while taking a new mark of 1:53.1 in the faster of the two trotting divisions. The track’s leading driver, Matt Kakaley, and trainer, Ron Burke, collaborated on this success for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, FAC Racing LLC, and Yannick Gingras. The other section went to the Father Patrick gelding Missile, whose win credentials might not have been quite as lofty (two wins and fourteen seconds in 2023-2024), but who also gave an effort that sent him home with a new speed standard, 1:54.2, for driver Ridge Warren, trainer Bruce Lauer, and It’s All Good Racing LLC.
 
Faster yet on the trot was Kinnder Thinktwice, who took a new mark of 1:52.2 in a supporting race. Fastest miles of the day were a pair of 1:48.3 pacing scores: one by the $509,715 winner Nicholas Beach, and one by the $474,715 earner South Beach Star.
 
All the honors for the day’s horsemen went to those connected with feature race winners: Matt Kakaley succeeded in the sulky four times, while a pair of Joes, Bongiorno and Pavia Jr., each sent out three victorious charges.
 
Racing resumes at Pocono at 1 p.m. Monday, with a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 pool. Free Pocono programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
BLOOMSBURG PA – The Pennsylvania Fair Harness Racing Circuit made its final stop of the 2024 season this past Friday and Saturday (September 20-21) at the historic Bloomsburg Fairgrounds, with supremacy among the eight stakes divisions, and entry spots for October 11’s $200,000 Pennsylvania Fair Championships at The Meadows, very much on the line.
 
The Standardbred Racing Bureau of the Pennsylvania State Horse Racing Commission is the official point recordkeeper for the Pennsylvania Fair Sire Stakes, and their word on the point totals is final (anything said here about points is based on an unofficial calculation on deadline). There will be a press release on the various divisional point leaders, who receive the traditional blanket in their stable’s colors at the PA Fair Banquet in January, coming out midweek. This release focuses on the racing at Bloomsburg, other totals of which this partnership is administrator, and “mathematical certainties” according to the Commission’s latest issued standings.
 
The focus will thus be on a pair of outstanding two-year-old trotters who are stablemates and who were the only horses who were ten-time winners at the fairs, and a pair of three-year-old fillies who appear to have the chance to go to a rarified level achieved only once in 22 years of Pennsylvania fair racing.
 
Trainer/driver Tony Schadel, also co-owner with his wife Linda, campaigned the Cantab Hall freshman filly Classy Cocktail and her contemporary, the Greenshoe gelding Lionheart Hanover. Both won for the tenth time at the fairs during Friday’s two-year-old racing at Bloomsburg, and incredibly, they both will end their campaigns over the twicearound circuit with identical records of 14-10-2-2 (which would put them at 430 points in the fair scoring system, and the highest point winners among all PA competitors). They will be the season’s fair speed leaders for their groups: Lionheart Hanover at 2:02 (Gratz), and Classy Cocktail with a 2:00.3 clocking (Bedford). Classy Cocktail also set two track records in a remarkably-deep division, where no fewer than seven fillies (many of whom she’ll face in her Championship) rewrote a line in the record books at various stops.
 
Aaron Johnston campaigns both Bloomsburg two-year-old pacing filly “A” winners, Don’t Touch My T (a winner of eight straight) and Its Written, the fastest freshman at Bloomsburg at 1:59.1, also an eight-time success story, and  in contention for blanket point honors, which as we noted will be announced after the Commission reviews the records. Wheelhouse Hanover had clinched the title for male two-year-old pacers before the weekend, but several late-bloomers could make trouble in the Championship.
 
Switching to Saturday’s three-year-olds, the headline fillies, trotter Little Town Road (trainer Roger Hammer) and pacer Showboat Hanover (trainer Todd Schadel), were both top point winner and Championship winner at two, and now they appear to have secured the point titles / blankets at three as well. They look to join 2021-22’s pacing filly Better Strait N Up as the only horses to “sweep” both titles at two and three (point total records being preserved since 2002; the Pennsylvania Fair Championships actually began in 1997).
 
Showboat Hanover paced five miles in 2:00 or less in her sophomore fair campaign and had a fairly comfortable margin, but Little Town Road had the more difficult path to again (unofficially) secure the most points.
 
Little Town Road’s consistency looks to have gotten her the nod over the remarkable Loveyoubunches, out of whom trainer-driver Todd Schadel got nine wins in ten starts (including Bloomsburg’s fastest trotting mile of 2:01), five track records, and the all-time PA Fairs standard for her group of 1:58.1 at Bedford. It’ll be an interesting matchup in the Championship.
 
The three-year-old trotting colts? The winners at Bloomsburg were both driven by Brady Brown for trainer Steve Schoeffel, and both were winning their sixth straight start at the fairs: Cyclone Ben and Bird And Grenade. The top point winner? There were still five mathematical possibilities heading to Bloomsburg, and with so many combinations involved, it’s safer to await the Commission’s official tally.
 
Todd Schadel had the top point winner among the pacing colts in Twiggs Pub, and also one with many other 2024 standards building on his 2023 Championship win: Ante Up Hanover. He had the fastest “A” win at Bloomsburg, 1:57.3 (a Championship finalist, Aintbluenomore, dropped down to “B” and won in 1:57 for driver Eric Neal and trainer Mitchell York, prepping him well for the Championship). Ante Up Hanover also had the fastest mile of 2024 at any fair, a 1:55.3 jaunt earlier in the week at Gratz, and his six wins in 2:00 or less also gave him honors in that category.
 
Horses such as these last few earned Todd Schadel the 2024 top spot in both driving and training victories (97 and 91, respectively). The underbattles went down to the wire: Eric Neal was top Bloomsburg driver with seven wins to give him second over Aaron Johnston 63-60, and Tony Schadel edged Tom Loughry Jr. 37-35 on the conditioners’ side. You see most of these top horsemen associated with champion horses somewhere in this season-ending report.
 
The Saturday Bloomsburg card was livestreamed, and you can watch it on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7qqFvsR1to.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – And the earplugs were never popped.
 
Ruthless Hanover, the author of the fastest mile ever on a 5/8-mile oval with a 1:46.3 win here on Super Sunday 2023, was the heaviest of favorites in Friday evening’s $15,000 fast-class handicap pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and he won in total control in 1:51.2 over a sloppy oval.
 
George Napolitano Jr., his pilot in the record mile, reunited with the Somebeachsomewhere gelding, got him to the front well before a :27.2 opener, and with his rivals’ large respect for the champion, the pair got to steal the half in :57. Ken Hanover came first-over from midbackstretch, and 39-1 Congressional did his best in the two-hole, but they never really posed a major danger to the winner, who scored by 1½ lengths over the pocketsitter, who in turn had a neck up at the wire on the overland challenger. Team Cancelliere – trainer Tom and owner/brother John – are the braintrust behind “Ruthless,” whose career bankroll is now $741,344.
 
And the earplugs were never popped.
 
In the $12,000 subfeature fast-class pace, the Bettor’s Delight gelding Mac’s Delight showed some gate jet for driver Corey Callahan, getting him a slot fourth early instead of being on the banks of the Delaware River at the quarter, as he often is here. The stablemate to Ruthless Hanover for Team Cancelliere thus got to work from second-over, and he flashed home powerfully to defeat a very game first-over Mad Max Hanover by a neck in 1:49.3 (the rain started after this race). Mac’s Delight has now won four of his last five Philly starts; in his only loss he was third despite pacing his own back half in :54 coming from last.
 
The JK Endofanera mare Take Your Pick has been red-hot since joining the Rick Bilach barn, continuing her form streak with a 1:52.2 victory over the sloppy going in the $13,000 headliner for distaff pacers. Simon Allard sent the winner to the early lead around Stallion Series champion Pressure Cooker, got a breather to the half, then sprinted home in :55.2 to withstand the two-holer by a half length for owner Troy Stewart, who has seen his recent acquisition win four of her five trips behind the gate since her purchase.
 
In addition to his win with Ruthless Hanover, George Napolitano Jr. won both halves of the Late Double and completed his night with four wins, and he now trails Tim Tetrick 113-108 in the meet’s standings. This duo has won the last seventeen dash titles at the Harrah’s facility (Tim nine, George eight); the only other driver to win a local dash crown was Cat Manzi in the track’s inaugural year of 2006.
 
Racing at Harrah’s Philly will resume on Sunday afternoon at 12:40; next week’s schedule will be the same as this week’s: Thursday at 12:25, Friday at 6;30, and Sunday at 12:40. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The evergreen Amigo Volo hustled out of the gate, made the lead in front of the stands, and kept on going to win a three-way decision in the $15,000 feature on “Trottin’ Thursday” afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
The altered son of Father Patrick, trained by Nifty Norman for owners Pinske Stables and David J. Miller, was outside of favored Asteroid as he made the top on the first turn, then went up to challenge nearing the :27.1 opener and was sent right on by driver George Napolitano Jr. Amigo Volo passed the half in :55, then got a serious challenge by Chake from well before the 1:23.4 three-quarters.
 
Those two carried on around the turn and into the stretch, with Asteroid moving to the inside to launch his bid. Amigo Volo showed the grit that has allowed him to earn $2,353,854, resisting by a neck the prolonged challenge of Chake, who in turn photoed out Asteroid for the place spot.
 
Stormont Divide took a lifetime mark of 1:53 in taking the $13,000 co-featured fast-class trot. The slight favorite over Herodotus, Stormont Divide made that foe work hard to set the pace, moved out on the middle of the far turn, and went by the leader by 1¾ lengths for driver Jack Pelling, trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
 
“Trottin Thursday” produced four other trotting victories in 1:55 or faster – Macmorris Hanover (1:54.2), Last Glow and Oliver The Great (both 1:54.3, a new mark for the latter), and Son Of Sona (1:55).
 
Drivers George Napolitano Jr. and Ridge Warren and trainer Robert Belcher each posted three victories during the card.
 
Harrah’s Philly will be back in action Friday, but about six hours later than normal for that day, as the racing will be under the lights with a first post of 6:30. Ruthless Hanover, who set the world record for a five-eighth mile track of 1:46.3 right here at Philly last year, heads up the $15,000 featured handicap pace; Friday’s fans will also have a carryover awaiting them in the first race Pick 4. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.