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Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association

TARPON SPRINGS S AGAIN PHILLY FEATURE WINNER

12/29/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Uncle Lasse gelding Tarpon Springs S, a recent import from Sweden, won his second race in as many starts on U.S. soil when he triumphed in the $12,000 featured trot during the next-to-last card of the year at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday.
 
Andy Miller got Tarpon Springs S away in the pocket behind his main rival Pisces Rising, who got fairly soft early numbers of :28.3 and :59.2. The pacesetter had to hasten the tempo to 1:27.2 for the three-quarters to see off the first-over challenger, and when Tarpon Springs S was moved outside into the stretch, he had enough in the tank to win by 1¾ lengths in 1:57.2. Joe Bongiorno trains the winner for Robert Weinstein, Nicole Diconstanzo, Thomas Svensen, and Nicklas Osetergaard-Andersen.
 
Miller also brought home another trotter whose recent record is 2-for-2 – the Greenshoe-Flyer Mel freshman gelding Green Mel, still never tasting defeat in his career after trotting his back quarters in :29 to earn a new mark of 1:56.3. The baby appears worth the wait as he was much the best here for trainer Julie Miller and the ownership of Willow Oak Ranch and Michael Anderson.
 
When Tim Tetrick last drove at Philly on December 20, he left having a nineteen win advantage in the drivers dash race. But since then George Napolitano Jr. has won thirteen races in four cards, including the four he took on the Sunday program, reducing Tetrick’s lead to six (177-171). “GNap” has drives in all fourteen races on Tuesday’s season-ending 4 p.m. card – including six morning line favorites!
 
(But ironically, George won’t even be the highest-UDR Napolitano at Philly this year – brother Anthony showed up for his one and only 2024 drive here Sunday and promptly rewarded those who follow the “lone shipping driver” angle by paying $24.20 with Getaway. Even George’s current lofty .365 won’t trump Anthony’s 1.000.)
 
A final note:  the last card of the season at Philly has one remarkable recent “past performance line.” In 2021 one driver won ten races on the last program of the year, tying the track record established in 2009 (and equaled by Yannick Gingras this year). The ten-bagger was completed when an 11-1 shot overhauled a 1-5 shot in the stretch; the hot-handed driver was Tim Tetrick, who caught a favorite driven by George Napolitano Jr. – whose ten-win local record Tetrick tied! Nothing is for sure at Philly when these two are in play – they’ve won seventeen of the eighteen win titles in the track’s history and fourteen of the eighteen UDR crowns.
 
The racing will begin at Philly on Tuesday at the special post of 4 p.m.; free program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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BENJAMIN HANOVER IMPRESSIVE WINNING PHILLY TROT FEATURE

12/29/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Benjamin Hanover, despite being handicapped outside to post seven, just had too much for his opposition easily winning the $15,000 featured fast-class handicap trot on Friday afternoon as Harrah’s Philadelphia began the last week of its 2024 season.
 
Driver Johnathan Ahle had the Sebastian K S gelding up on the gate and eyeing early position, but when many of his lefthand neighbors showed the same inclination, the pair tucked in fifth as All Wrapped Up made two moves to control the pace in fractions of :27.3 and :57.1. Benjamin Hanover then put in a relentless uncovered grind, going his own back half in :55.3 on a chilly day to get closer to the leader by the 1:25.2 three-quarters, then trotting on strongly to defeat the leader by two lengths in 1:54 for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owner Angela Cornell. The four-year-old knows how to win: this was his 12th success in 22 seasonal starts, and lifetime his scorecard reads 19-for-32.
 
In the $14,000 sub-feature trot, Intl Blockade, an International Moni sophomore gelding, had somewhat of a similar journey as “Benjamin”: taking back after contemplating an early move from post seven, then coming on the attack and trotting his last half in :56.3. Intl Blockade did have the advantage of being in a lively cover flow, and he overhauled first-over Ahadi AS by half a length in 1:56.4 for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Ron Burke, and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, announced yesterday as 2024 Owners of the Year in the USHWA Dan Patch Award voting.
 
Pacing distaffs had a feature as well, a $13,000 contest in which Blood Moon A, on an uncovered second move, was able to beat out resurgent railshooter Rec Time by a head in 1:55.2. The winning daughter of Pet Rock, trained by Jeff Cullipher for Pollack Racing LLC, was driven by 21-year-old Brett Beckwith, who during the card was announced as the Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner for 2024.
 
Johnathan Ahle had four winning steers on the Friday card, three of them for trainer Scott Di Domenico, the only trainer who tripled. Three wins were posted by driver Corey Callahan, two for the Ron Burke barn; also doubling were trainer Deborah Daguet and drivers Brett Beckwith and George Napolitano Jr.
 
There are but two cards left on the 2024 calendar at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Sunday’s racing will start as usual at 12:40, with a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wager, and then the year will close out with a Tuesday card on New Year’s Eve, with the trotters and pacers first going gateward at 4 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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TRACK RECORD $1,587,638 HANDLE AT HARRAH'S PHILLY TUESDAY

12/26/2024

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​CHESTER PA – Harrah’s Philadelphia has a little bit extra to celebrate during this holiday season, as during its Christmas Eve noontime program, the track handled $1,587,638 – the biggest betting total ever at the southeast Pennsylvania oval.
 
Trainer Joe Bongiorno made a sweep of the two handicap fast–class pacing spotlight races, both coming over a track below peak speed due to the cold and the wet conditions preceding the card , and both making the journey from Yonkers to Philly successfully.
 
The $15,000 fast-class handicap sidewheeling headliner saw the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Rock Diamonds N leaving powerfully from post eight to easily clear to the lead, then remaining in firm control to cover the mile in 1:51.3, the fastest winning time in almost three years for the 11-year-old winner of $947,701, George Napolitano Jr. guided the evergreen pacer for Ben Mondello and JB Racing.
 
In the $14,000 sub-feature fast-class handicap pace, Bongiorno sent out the Lazarus N gelding Vici, who proved himself well-named with a 1:52.1 victory, which was a lifetime best. Vici sat a comfortable pocket then pulled out to challenge nearing headstretch, pacing off late to a two length triumph for driver Johnathan Ahle. JB Racing had their second feature winner of the day, this time in partnership with Barbara Bongiorno Stable LLC.
 
George Napolitano Jr. led the drivers with four tallies on the day, all for different trainers. Justin Huckabone guided three winners, two for trainer Bruce Lauer – the last of which was literally the focus of the entire horse racing world, as globally no other track was racing according to the simulcast bet system. Teaming up for doubles were driver Corey Callahan and trainer Ron Burke, and driver Tony Morgan and trainer Darren Taneyhill.
 
Only three cards remain in 2024 at Harrah’s Philadelphia – racing will be held on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 as usual, and then there will be a special New Year’s Eve card on Tuesday, December 31, when post time will be 4 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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TARPON SPRINGS S WINS PHILLY FEATURE IN U.S. BOW

12/23/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – The Uncle Lasse gelding Tarpon Springs S won his initial United States start after being shipped over from Sweden, taking a $12,000 conditioned trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
 
It was quite chilly in Philly on Sunday, and driver Corey Callahan looked to have ice water in his veins and he stayed along the rail with the favorite when the outside tier formed to go after pacesetting Unique Wedding. Callahan and Tarpon Spring S finally joined the two-wide flow into third-over position, then went three-wide at the three-quarters while appearing to have plenty of trot. Despite being three-deep on the last bend and under minimal urging from his pilot, Tarpon Springs S continued on nicely to overhaul the leader by 1½ lengths at the end of the 1:59 mile for trainer Joe Bongiorno and the partnership of Robert Weinstein, Nicole DiConstanzo, Thomas Svensen, and Nicklas Oestergaard-Andersen.
 
Callahan had three sulky successes on Sunday, tying him with George Napolitano Jr. for honors in that statistic.
 
While Tarpon Springs S was one of seven favorites to win Sunday, there were also two $50+ “bombers.” One was a repeat longshot: Gatsby, who parlayed a pocket trip into a $56.00 victory on November 10, took his field coast-to-coast (not the easiest path to victory this day) for amateur driver Steve Reisenweaver to pay $111.00 on Sunday, joining Common Parlance and Captain Hansen as the only horses to return $50+ to win twice in 2024 here. Also putting some extra holiday money in his scattered backers’ pockets was Squadron Seelster, who sat well off hot fractions then picked up his field late for driver Jack Pelling while returning $69.00.
 
Normally Sunday would be the end of the racing week at Harrah’s Philly, but the two holiday Tuesdays on th near horizon will also feature live action. This Tuesday, Christmas Eve, December 24, there will be a live card starting at noon, with the USHWA Dan Patch divisional award winners to be announced via the signal broadcast starting around 11:00 a.m. After “regularly-scheduled” cards on Friday the 27th at 12:25 and Sunday the 29th at 12:40, the 2024 Philly action will end on the last day of the year, New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, December 31, with the races starting at 4 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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BENJAMIN HANOVER FEATURE TROT WINNER AT FRIGID PHILLY

12/22/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA --   The four-year-old Sebastian K S gelding Benjamin Hanover, who earlier this season trotted the Harrah’s Philadelphia oval in 1:51.4 for a divisional track record, didn’t quite go that fast winning the $15,000 fast-class handicap feature at the riverside oval on a Friday that saw snow fall through the last third of the card, but his 1:54 mile was very impressive in its own right.
 
Johnathan Ahle sent the eleven-time seasonal winner right to the lead and got moderate early fractions of :28.4 and :57.4. “Benjamin” picked up the pace to reach the three-quarters in 1:26.2, then sprinted home through the chill in :27.3 – and had to, as All Wrapped Up was a pesky pocket presence throughout and made the winner work in his 1¼ length decision for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owner Angela Cornell.
 
A $14,000 co-feature trot for developing horses saw the Bold Eagle mare Golden Rain S remain undefeated in North America by taking a new mile mark of 1:54.4 for driver George Napolitano Jr., trainer Per Engblom (who sent out three winners on the card), and owner Thomas Lind-Holm. Golden Rain S, who set a rapid pace, withstood a big late rally by slow-clearing Intl Blockade by a half-length.
 
Filly and mare pacers also had their turns in the Philly spotlight. In the $13,500 top contest for these distaffs, the Huntsville three-year-old miss Blue Point made an early pace-controlling move, then withstood the comeback of the horse she passed early, the inside-skimming Twin B Sunkissed, by a neck in 1:54 Meet-leading driver Tim Tetrick, who won five times at Philly Friday after triumphing seventeen times in the last three days at Dover, had the sulky seat for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.
 
In a very competitive (the morning line favorite was 4-1) $13,000 handicap event for the lady sidewheelers, Ambushed found room late between horses and outcharged a fast-closing Vibrance by a nose in 1:52.3. Simon Allard got the daughter of Always B Miki home first for trainer Hunter Oakes and the ownership of D Racing Stable Inc. and Donald Mac Rae.
 
Only five more cards are left in the 2024 Philly season: this week there will be more racing on Sunday at 12:40 and then a Christmas Eve Tuesday program at 12:00, before which the Dan Patch Awards divisional champions will be announced at approximately 11:00 and can be seen on the signal. To close out the year, there will be racing on Friday the 27th at 12:25, Sunday the 29th at 12:40, and then New Year’s Eve Tuesday the 31st at 4 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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WHOODLE HANOVER FRONT END PHILLY FEATURE WINNER

12/15/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Whoodle Hanover, 20-1 in the morning line but perhaps being aided by the scratch of the two favorites and three foes in all, capitalized on her situation, making every pole a winning one in capturing the $12,000 featured trot on a cold Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
 
Jim Pantaleano was in the sulky behind the Cantab Hall sophomore filly as she took command on the first turn, set the fractions as she pleased, and then held off the late bids of Craft Brew Lindy and Unique Wedding, both fanning wide in the stretch but unable to overhaul the winner in the 1:59 mile. Neal Ehrhart, the only training doubler on the day (both driven by Pantaleano, who wound up with four sulky successes), conditions the winner for owner Jaypaul Hoover.
 
Pantaleano also was in the sulky behind probably the most impressive winner of the day, the Royalty For Life trotting gelding Warrawee Xalt, who followed an Ottawa-Toronto-Philly itinerary and then fronted his field with giant numbers on the chilly day to win in an impressive 1:53.3. Hunter Oakes was successful at first asking with the good-looking addition to his barn, who is owned by Patrick Dillon and Patti Hoskin.
 
George Napolitano Jr., the eight-time leading dashwinning driver at Philly, had five victories on the day, all for different trainers, and by a total of 24 lengths. Napolitano has 421 wins in Pennsylvania this year between Philly and Pocono, more wins in 2024 within the Keystone State than anybody, and ranks eighth in the North American drivers dash totals.
 
For the final two weeks of the 2024 schedule, Harrah’s Philadelphia switches to a Friday / Sunday / pre-holiday Tuesday pattern, with Friday’s first post remaining 12:25 and Sunday’s 12:40; the Christmas Eve card will start at noon, and the New Year’s Eve card will start at 4 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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PHILLY PACING FEATURE TO AGEDCHEDDAR HANOVER

12/15/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – Agedcheddar Hanover, who sat in the pocket last week and may have been bottomed out behind lightning fractions, went back to his come-from-behind ways Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, sweeping wide from third-over to beat a talented field gathered for the $15,000 fast-class pace in 1:52.2 with the mercury just above freezing.
 
A Rocknroll Star, winner of last week’s feature, made two early moves to set the pace with splits of :27.3, :55.4, and 1:23.4, with Virgo looming in the pocket. Ridge Warren had the victorious Betterthancheddar gelding well off the pace, then sent him three-wide late on the turn and got enough rally from him to defeat Virgo along the inside by half a length, with Teddy Disco A blasting from last to be third ahead of A Rocknroll Star in a finish that saw these four within a length of each other at the wire.
 
Jake Leamon trains the winner, who after going winless in 2023 here posted his ninth success of this year, for owner Dona McDonald.
 
Another frequent winner in the 2024 campaign, the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Tyson Hanover, rocketed right to the lead and withstood a late charge from potential pocket rocket Ishotthesheriff GB by  three-quarters of a length  to capture the $13,500 co-featured pace in 1:52.2. Tyson Hanover, an 11-time winner this season in but 15 starts, was driven by Anthony Morgan for trainer Willard Reynolds and owner Mark Howard.
 
The horsemen came in for shares of glory as much as their horses did on Friday. Veteran horseman Bruce Clarke, with 2952 driving victories in a distinguished career, added a milestone training win to his resume when Beach Town Boy rallied strongly very late to win the last race,  becoming the 1000th training winner that the 66-year-old native of Scarborough ONT has harnessed.
 
Tony Morgan and Tim Tetrick started the day with 31,957 sulky successes between them, and concluded the card with 31,962, as Morgan had a triple and Tetrick, the track’s leading driver, a double. Ridge Warren also guided three winners, and doubles were also recorded by driver Simon Allard and trainers Johnny Crites Jr. and Darren Taneyhill.
 
Philly closes its racing week on Sunday with a 12:40 post time; there will be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wager. The last two weeks of the year, Harrah’s changes to a Friday-Sunday-holiday Tuesday schedule; Friday’s first race will go at 12:25 and Sunday’s at 12:40, but on Christmas Eve the action will start at noon, and the final card of 2024 will begin at 4 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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RESOLVE TO WIN WINS AFTER "TRIP" AT PHILLY

12/15/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – On a chilly, blustery day at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday, Resolve To Win got the best trip among the man contenders and won the $15,000 fast-class trot in 1:55.3.
 
There was quite a donnybrook early despite the cold, with Eurobond leaving and keeping Resolve To Win parked past a :27.3 quarter, with Benjamin Hanover, the favorite despite the outside post and a 27-day layoff, following early cover then working hard under tapping to pass that rival only just before the :56.4 half (the stretch headwind was more pronounced early than late, and this was the first race). “Benjamin” kept the lead to the 1:25 three-quarters and was forced to deal with a first-over move from Donato Patriot K.
 
In the lane it was apparent that the winner would be either the first-over or the pocket horse, and it was Resolve To Win to reach home first, a length to the good of Donato Patriot K. Tim Tetrick drove the Resolve gelding to his second straight victory, and fourth in his last six starts, for trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing LLC.
 
Trainer Per Engblom teamed with driver Kasper Foget to win at first asking with two Scandinavian trotters making their U.S. bows. One came in the $14,000 co-featured event for horses on the rise, as the Bold Eagle mare Golden Rain S made an early move to take over the throttle and went on to a 1:56.1 victory for owner Thomas Lind-Holm. The other Engblom-Foget import went even faster as the Readly Express gelding Furst Igor S made a quick adjustment to racing on the west side of the Atlantic, never looking back in 1:56, with ownership of this promising horse shared by Foget and Engblom Stable LLC.
 
Following the lead of Foget and Engblom were driver Simon Allard and trainer Mark Akins, who doubled in the $13,500 contests for those one below the level of the co-features. In a thrilling battle between two speedy sophomore fillies, the Walner miss Sapphinerainstar yielded to a :27.3 backstretch brush of Only I Exist, who was going for her seventeenth win in a row over two years after breaking in her career bow, but then the “Star” courageously rallied back late as the favorite shortened a bit, winning by a nose in 1:55.3 for A 1 Racing.
 
As hard-fought as Sapphinerainstar’s victory was, the win of the Muscle Massive gelding Jesmach On Target was just as easy in the other section, taking the lead in front of the stands and winning handily in 1:56.2 for Allard/Akins and Rhodes Across The Board LLC.
 
Pacing mares had two feature events on the Thursday Philly card.  A $13,500 handicap race for improving horses saw horses two- and three-wide at a couple of points in the mile, but the horse who won came up the inside – the Captaintreacherous three-year-old filly Bellucci, who rallied for the 1:54 tally for driver Justin Huckabone, trainer Scott Di Domenico, and owner Larry Fischer.    
 
In a $13,000 handicap event, the Always B Miki sophomore filly Miki In Luv made the most of a cover journey, swept wide and beat out first-over Ambushed by a head in 1:53.4 for driver Brett Beckwith, trainer Ron Coyne Jr., and the partnership of Ron Coyne Stables Inc., Blair Corbeil, Richard Carney, and Farrell Carney.
 
Simon Allard drove the last race winner to break an eight-way logjam among horsemen who had previously posted two wins; one of that octet was trainer Mark Akins, with whom he won two feature trots, as did the team of driver Kasper Foget and trainer Per Engblom. Other two-time winners on the card were drivers Corey Callahan and Tim Tetrick (the meet leader); conditioning doubles were also rung up by Jeff Cullipher and Scott Di Domenico.
 
Friday’s racing at 12:25 features a $15,000 fast-class pace matching last week’s feature winner A Rocknroll Star; Mac’s Delight, a horse who has shown his quality here in the past; and Teddy Disco A, who looked powerful in his first start after coming from Down Under. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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TODD SCHADEL POSTS CAREER DRIVING WIN 1999 AT PHILLY

12/9/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Todd Schadel is on the verge of a personal milestone in what already has been a great year for him, guiding Internationalcraze to victory in the faster of two $12,000 trotting features Sunday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia to push his lifetime driving win total to 1999.
 
The International Moni sophomore gelding Internationalcraze got away fourth for Schadel but was on the move nearing the :29.2 quarter and was limbed out most of the next quarter before making the top and reaching the midpoint in :59. A big third quarter got him both to the three-quarters in 1:27.1 and into an uncatchable lead, and he won by 2¼ lengths over Southwind Python for his trainer/driver, who is also co-owner with his wife Christine and Rick and Regina Beinhauer.
 
Schadel is already at a personal one-season high figure with this 115th sulky win of 2024. He is also the North American leader in percentage for both horsemen’s professions in the 300-499 starts range: he has a .450 UDR and a .482 UTR.
 
The other co-featured trot was captured by the E L Titan three-year-old gelding Voss Blue Chip, who minded his manners and overcame the outside post eight to lead at every call in a 1:58.1 score. Tracks Of My Tears made a second move into contention but was 1¾ lengths back at the finish, photoing Mischievous G for the deuce. Voss Blue Chip won for trainer Cameron Capone and owner Paul Kautz; the victory was one of four driving successes for Simon Allard, tops for the day.
 
By now longshot fanciers should be scanning their programs and circling the name “Bradley Chisholm” whenever it appears. The 27-year-old is getting the most out on some less-than-likely horses, such as bringing home Sprout at $50.60 in the fifth race. Chisholm has a meet-high four “bombers” (winners paying $50+ for $2), and he also steered Perfectly Close to an $80.20 upset here on Friday.
 
This coming week will be the last of the Harrah’s fall schedule to follow the usual pattern of Thursday and Friday racing at 12:25 and Sunday action at 12:40; the holiday weeks at the end of the year will find live racing on Fridays (12:25), Sundays (12:40), and the pre-holiday Tuesdays (Christmas Eve at noon, and New Year’s Eve at 4 p.m.). Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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BRETT BECKWITH VISITS PHILLY, WINS FEATURE

12/9/2024

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By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
CHESTER PA – Brett Beckwith, a leading contender for this year’s Rising Star Award after a brilliant campaign on several fronts, made a stop at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon and promptly guided A Rocknroll Star, an altered son of A Rocknroll Dance, to victory in the $14,000 featured fast-class handicap pace, winning in 1:51 in frigid temperatures.
 
It was appropriate that the 21-year-old Beckwith won the headliner with a Robert Cleary trainee, since it was Cleary who put him down on the horses he had entered on Friday’s card, with the youngster gaining additional fill-in drives at scratch time. Here he kept A Rocknroll Star midpack early as Agedcheddar Hanover yielded to Virgo, seeking his fourth straight win, with Virgo defying the elements and racking up roaring fractions of :25.4, :54.3, and 1:22.
 
A Rocknroll Star ranged up uncovered from midbackstretch and gained steadily on the leader, then responded to Beckwith urging to go by the pacesetter, who himself went a big mile, by a length, with Agedcheddar Hanover holding for third. A horse who has enjoyed much success at Philly in recent times, A Rocknroll Star is owned by Howard Taylor and Zazo LLC.
 
Ridge Warren made all the right moves with the Heston Blue Chip gelding Park Street Blues to take one division of the $13,500 co-featured paces. Park Street Blues maintained the two-hole while Easy Lou blasted off from the rail in fractions of :27, :55.4, and 1:23, at the last-named station being joined by first-over Pyrenees Hanover. As the raw challenger looked to be getting the advantage on the turn Warren started to back up the winner to follow, but when favored Magnifico Hanover roared up three-wide, Park Street Blues was taken back to the inside and finished well to defeat Pyrenees Hanover by 1½ lengths in 1:52.2 for trainer Tee Wine and Wine Stable.
 
The other section of the co-feature class gave another showcase to the marauding Huntsville sophomore gelding Build The Wall, as he is now three-for-three locally after a 1:53 victory. Tim Tetrick came just at the :27.3 quarter to take over the lead from Ishotthesheriff GB, put up middle splits of :56.3 and 1:25.1, then stretched out during a :27.4 kicker with little apparent effort to leave the pocketsitter 3¼ lengths behind. A winner of nine of thirteen after being unraced at two, Build The Wall looks like a real comer for trainer Maria Reid and the ownership of Fusco Strong LLC and Peter Fusco Racing LLC.
 
Tetrick won five races – all for different trainers – giving him 22 wins in his last six visits to Harrah’s; he also has a 20-win lead atop the drivers standings with ten cards to go as he seeks to wrap up his fourth straight local title. Simon Allard drove three winners, two for trainer Mark Akins, and Beckwith-Cleary also had a double.
 
The holidays came a little earlier for the backers of Perfectly Close, who posted an $80.20 upset in the fourth race, living up to his name in defeating Woodmere Dealer by  a neck. Trainer Chris(tmas?) Temming took the “bomber” lead at Philly with three $50+ wins; his last two were driven by Bradley Chisholm, who at three is now tied with Jonathan Ahle, Troy Beyer, and Jack Pelling in that drivers category. The fourth race has been the most likely spot for a big upset to happen, with six of the 31 $50+ horses at Philly in 2024 coming in that slot.
 
The racing week concludes Sunday at Philly with a 12:40 post, and the trotters and pacers will be providing the usual fall Thursday-Friday-Sunday action before the schedule shifts a bit for the last two holiday weeks of 2024. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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