By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – It’s rare to see a trailer in an overnight race at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but the Racing Office had the good favor of nine solid fast-class trotters drop in the box, so it was decided to go with nine while raising the purse to $18,000, and they were eight-wide behind the gate. But it was the trailing horse, Benjamin Hanover, who emerged victorious, winning his fifth straight race in 1:54.2 on a dank day and over a “good” surface.
Tim Tetrick, has a great talent for working out second-over journeys, and even as the trailer he kept Benjamin Hanover’s nose tight on the #1 and got away midpack as favored Ari Ferrari J broke challenging for the lead. Little Expensive, second to Benjamin Hanover the last two weeks and the rail horse here, brushed to the top in front of the stands.
Resolve To Win started an determined bid uncovered from midbackstretch, giving perfect cover to Benjamin Hanover. The first-over wore down the pacesetter, but Benjamin Hanover and Tetrick were poised to pounce, and they beat Resolve To Win by a length.
Benjamin Hanover certainly is among the gamest and hardest-trying of horses – in addition to his current streak for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owner Angela Cornell, the five-year-old Sebastian K S gelding is 11-for-20 for the season and has 30 wins in only 52 trips to the gate lifetime.
The top pacing purse was $13,500, for horses really coming into their own right now. The victory was taken by the Betterthancheddar sophomore colt Tito N Cheddar in his second start since coming home from Woodbine, with Corey Callahan in the sulky for trainer Joe Bongiorno and Hutt Racing Stable. Last week Lochlan Hanover won in this class as he got the jump on a late-clearing Tito N Cheddar; this week Callahan took control of the pace and could shrug off Lochlan Hanover’s tough uncovered bid into a :56.1 last half, winning by 1¼ lengths in 1:53.4. Lazarus Star was able to come up the inside and beat out Lochlan Hanover for second.
Vanderbilt N, making his Stateside debut after competing against tough foes Down Under, was quite impressive in his Stateside debut, winning in 1:52.1. The Heidi Cushing trainee, owned by driver Ron Cushing in partnership with Kevin Swywk, hustled early to the lead, yielded to Lyons Steel, then saw Leonidas A blast to the top in quarter three by coming his own split in :26.2. After the big expenditure by the new leader, Lyons Steel came back out for more on the turn, and Cushing tipped the Enzed pacer out behind him, swung him wide for the drive, and Vanderbilt N was a going-away winner against solid opposition – you may be hearing more from this one soon.
The 15-year-old pacer Iammrbrightside N was retired after competing in an amateur drivers event. Iammrbrightside N compiled a very commendable 29-7-2-7-$44,700 scorecard this season for owner/driver Anthony Verruso and trainer Veronica Spicer, and his lifetime tally reads 364-63-55-54-$727,332.
Just another day at the office for the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, who posted the only triple of the day; he has twenty-one December victories at Philly in only six appearances. Doubles on the day were rung up by trainer Scott Di Domenico (both winners driven by “Timmy T”) and Mark Ford, and by drivers Corey Callahan, amateur reinsman Geovany Hernandez, and George Napolitano Jr.
Harrah’s Philadelphia will concludes its 2025 meet on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve, with a special starting time of 4 p.m. The leading drivers and trainers for the meet will be recognized, and the fans will have the bonus of mandatory payouts on the last iteration of the normal “carryover” wagers. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – It’s rare to see a trailer in an overnight race at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but the Racing Office had the good favor of nine solid fast-class trotters drop in the box, so it was decided to go with nine while raising the purse to $18,000, and they were eight-wide behind the gate. But it was the trailing horse, Benjamin Hanover, who emerged victorious, winning his fifth straight race in 1:54.2 on a dank day and over a “good” surface.
Tim Tetrick, has a great talent for working out second-over journeys, and even as the trailer he kept Benjamin Hanover’s nose tight on the #1 and got away midpack as favored Ari Ferrari J broke challenging for the lead. Little Expensive, second to Benjamin Hanover the last two weeks and the rail horse here, brushed to the top in front of the stands.
Resolve To Win started an determined bid uncovered from midbackstretch, giving perfect cover to Benjamin Hanover. The first-over wore down the pacesetter, but Benjamin Hanover and Tetrick were poised to pounce, and they beat Resolve To Win by a length.
Benjamin Hanover certainly is among the gamest and hardest-trying of horses – in addition to his current streak for trainer Scott Di Domenico and owner Angela Cornell, the five-year-old Sebastian K S gelding is 11-for-20 for the season and has 30 wins in only 52 trips to the gate lifetime.
The top pacing purse was $13,500, for horses really coming into their own right now. The victory was taken by the Betterthancheddar sophomore colt Tito N Cheddar in his second start since coming home from Woodbine, with Corey Callahan in the sulky for trainer Joe Bongiorno and Hutt Racing Stable. Last week Lochlan Hanover won in this class as he got the jump on a late-clearing Tito N Cheddar; this week Callahan took control of the pace and could shrug off Lochlan Hanover’s tough uncovered bid into a :56.1 last half, winning by 1¼ lengths in 1:53.4. Lazarus Star was able to come up the inside and beat out Lochlan Hanover for second.
Vanderbilt N, making his Stateside debut after competing against tough foes Down Under, was quite impressive in his Stateside debut, winning in 1:52.1. The Heidi Cushing trainee, owned by driver Ron Cushing in partnership with Kevin Swywk, hustled early to the lead, yielded to Lyons Steel, then saw Leonidas A blast to the top in quarter three by coming his own split in :26.2. After the big expenditure by the new leader, Lyons Steel came back out for more on the turn, and Cushing tipped the Enzed pacer out behind him, swung him wide for the drive, and Vanderbilt N was a going-away winner against solid opposition – you may be hearing more from this one soon.
The 15-year-old pacer Iammrbrightside N was retired after competing in an amateur drivers event. Iammrbrightside N compiled a very commendable 29-7-2-7-$44,700 scorecard this season for owner/driver Anthony Verruso and trainer Veronica Spicer, and his lifetime tally reads 364-63-55-54-$727,332.
Just another day at the office for the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, who posted the only triple of the day; he has twenty-one December victories at Philly in only six appearances. Doubles on the day were rung up by trainer Scott Di Domenico (both winners driven by “Timmy T”) and Mark Ford, and by drivers Corey Callahan, amateur reinsman Geovany Hernandez, and George Napolitano Jr.
Harrah’s Philadelphia will concludes its 2025 meet on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve, with a special starting time of 4 p.m. The leading drivers and trainers for the meet will be recognized, and the fans will have the bonus of mandatory payouts on the last iteration of the normal “carryover” wagers. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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