By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – A trio of $11,200 features for horses on the way up the class ladder was the post-Thanksgiving headliners at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday afternoon.
 
Two of the three top races were for trotters, and most eye-catching was the Father Patrick sophomore filly Context, who ran her record to 2 for 3 under the tutelage of Anette Lorentzon with a 1:54.4 victory while overcoming post eight. Main contender Heat Wave Hanover stole off to a good lead nearing the three-quarter pole, but Tim Tetrick got all the speed he needed for his charge, as she came the back half to take a new mark for owners Arden Homestead Stable and Jorgen Jahre Jr.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – With Harrah’s Philadelphia not presenting a live program on Thanksgiving Thursday afternoon, the trotters and the pacing mares both got turns in the racing spotlight, with each group having a $12,800 feature and an $11,600 co-feature.
 
In the $12,800 events for “non-winners of 5 races,” the trotters were led by the Explosive Matter sophomore gelding Arclight Hanover, who rewarded the bettors who made him the favorite by sweeping wide on the far turn and going off to a 1¾ length victory over Andela in 1:56.3 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Mark Harder, the latter co-owner with Deena Frost and Emma Petterson.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA -- A trio of $11,200 events for up-and-coming younger horses, two on the trot and one on the pace, served as the headliners at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon.
 
On the pace, General Ward tucked third early and stayed inside, then found room midturn and overhauled the favored pacesetter Rockin The Blaze by three-quarters of a length. The Somebeachsomewhere sophomore came home in :55.2 to post a lifetime mark of 1:52.2. A recent addition to the barn of trainer Scott Di Domenico, the gelding has now won two straight, with Tim Tetrick driving for Triple D Stables Inc. Michael Farro, and M G Stable Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The veteran Explosive Matter gelding Scirocco Rob got his own way on the front end, then held off a late challenge from pocketsitter 38-1 shot Pappy Go Go to take the $14,400 handicap trotting feature Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:54.
 
The winner of $475,629 left well from his assigned outside post seven for driver Tim Tetrick, and, certainly not hurt when race favorite Goes Down Smooth got rough past the start, made the lead in the middle of the first turn and set fractions of :27.3, :56.4, and 1:25.1. Pappy Go Go made the winner give his all in the lane, but he held off his rival by three-quarters of a length for trainer Mark Silva and owner Kathleen and Lewis Whitaker Jr.
 
The faster of two $12,800 subfeatured trots went to Big Nudge, a sophomore Donato Hanover colt who was sent to the lead in front of the stands by driver David Miller and never gave up the lead thereafter. The tough first-over Willing Hanover grinded to him late in the 1:55.4 mile, but Big Nudge went under the wire a length to the good for trainer Jake Leamon and owners Charles Elliott, A And B Stable, and Hutt Racing Stable.
 
The three-year-old Trixton filly Tricky Sister enjoyed a substantial from top stakes company and used pocket rocket tactics to overhaul pacesetting Harley K by 1¼ lengths at the end of the 1:57.1 co-subfeature. George Napolitano Jr. handled sulky duties for trainer Andrew Harris and owner Robert Key.
 
David Miller and Tim Tetrick were the leading drivers on the day with three victories each.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Coming off a second, beaten a half length by Caviart Ally, on Friday night, the Mach Three mare Machnhope was right back in Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning the $14,400 featured distaff handicap pace in 1:51.2 – but not before giving the bettors who had punched her down to 1-10 a brief scare late.
 
Machnhope was sent right to the lead by driver Andrew McCarthy, put up fractions of :27.1, :55, and 1:23, and seemed unfazed as she opened up a clear lead around the far turn. But in midstretch Machnhope took a couple of fumbly steps; McCarthy was able to get his charge back on course quickly, and she kept on going to defeat pocketsitter Apple Bottom Jeans by a length, with closer Eclipse Me N another neck back in third. Machnhope survived an inquiry into her stretch adventures, and now she is a winner of $317,029 lifetime, while Noel Daley conditioning her for himself and his partners Deo Volente Farms LLC, Thomas Pontone, and L A Express Stable LLC.
 
In the $12,800 co-featured pace for the ladies, the three-year-old Sweet Lou filly Shouldbeenatd sat the pocket behind second choice She’s Nun Bettor N, was moved outside on the far turn by driver Yannick Gingras to engage her, and encountered upper stretch resistance before finally making the lead in a 1:54.2 victory, with the final margin 1½ lengths. The sophomore has now amassed $217,917 for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
 
Andrew McCarthy and David Miller had driving triples on the first card of the Philly racing week.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
WILKES-BARRE PA – Saturday afternoon’s final card of 2020 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono contained the lure of a $239,000+ carryover into a mandatory distribution of the Rainbow Pick 5 pool for picking the winners of the last five races of the year. With anticipation of a nice payoff no matter whether a chalkplayer or longshot fancier, bettors poured $441,661 into the Rainbow Pick 5 pool, so that after the percentage deduction on the day’s play, the pool distributed (carryover and “fresh money”) reached $614,889.
 
Only two of the nine favorites in races run before the Pick 5 events had  emerged victorious, but those fortunes started to turn when favored Benson Boys N rallied strongly out of the two-hole to take a 1:50.4 lifetime mark in the $16,000 claiming handicap pacing feature. Hunter Oakes guided the winner of three straight for trainer Steve Brabrook and owner Alan Johnston, and the favorite paid $6.00 to win in the first Pick 5 contest.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Developing younger horses were featured in a trio of $11,200 features at Harrah’s Philadelphia during an afternoon where the track went from “good” to “fast” as the moisture in the surface was worked away.
 
The fact that the track was still rated “good” for his race didn’t bother the Western Ideal sophomore gelding Full Send at all, as he powered out of the pocket for driver Montrell Teague to easily catch pacesetting favorite Rockin The Blaze in 1:50.2 in the single pacing feature. One of the star performers in a tough three-year-old pacing colt division along the Pennsylvania Fair circuit this past year, Full Send set a new mark  while taking his eighth win of the year for trainer Eli Scott Jr. and Chesapeake Equine Clinic Inc.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​WILKES-BARRE PA -- On its 2020 closing card Saturday afternoon, the Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono will have a mandatory distribution of all money in its Rainbow Pick 5 pool -- which will start with a carryover of nearly $240,000 and include all money wagered that day.

Normally the Pocono Rainbow Pick 5, which covers the last five races on the card, requires a unique ticket with the five race winners to take down the big jackpot -- multiple selectors of the victorious quintet on a given day would divide a portion of that wagering as a consolation, with a percentage carried over to a growing Jackpot. 

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – The Indiana invader Swan Legacy made an impressive local debut in the faster of the $12,800 featured trots on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, using the cover of favored Rosalie Swan as a springboard to a 1:55.4 victory over a good track.
 
Tim Tetrick got the Swan For All sophomore gelding out behind Rosalie Swan as that one went uncovered down the backstretch to get the lead, then continued with his momentum and was the easiest of winners for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owners Triple D Stables Inc., Michael Ferriero, and M G Stable Inc. The lightly-raced Baldaquin, making his first start in 40 days and only his ninth lifetime in the November of his four-year-old year, photoed out Rosalie Swan for second.

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – The Real Artist mare Abigail Dawn had to have everything go right for her in the $11,600 handicap featured pace for distaffs on a soggy Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia – and when they did, driver Dexter Dunn put the mare in position to win, and she took a close finish in 1:52.3 over a sloppy track.
 
Early on Abigail Dawn thought about leaving, but Its Mesmerise N to her right and favored Baron Remy to her left had similar ideas and faster leg movement, and she had to take back to third. Abigail Dawn gapped for much of the next half-mile, and when 18-1 shot Abuelita Hanover came up first-over, Dunn stayed to the inside.