By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Anibal Borjas, a 43-year-old native of Guatemala best known for being an assistant admiral in the Armada of trainer Tony Alagna, has fewer than 80 driving victories in his limited sulky career, but he now has had doubles on Thursday and Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and his win behind Perfidious Crown (Tall Dark Stranger – Treacherous Reign) in the $14,000 featured distaff pace as the second of his Friday wins was a masterclass of tactical ability.
Borjas left very hard with Perfidious Crown as the innermost of three swift starters, with Gala, the heavy favorite, between horses, and Neil’s Diamond out widest. Gala backed off a bit as the other two went on, with Neil’s Diamond accepting the early pocket after a :27.1 opener. Gala then went up to challenge, and Borjas and Perfidious Crown pushed a bit then yielded for the new golden seat.
Gala’s career record entering this race was 8-6-2-0-$241,250-1:50.1f after a great freshman campaign in Kentucky and a 1:51 Pocono win in her seasonal bow. The frontstepping chalk reached the next two poles in :55.2 and 1:23.1, with Perfidious Crown continuing to stay connected as the opposition melted. Gala still had two lengths at the stretch call, but her arduous trip (forced to a degree by Borjas’s tactics) caught up with her just past midstretch, while Borjas and his mare never gave up and took the measure of the pacesetter by a neck to equal her mark of 1:51.1 for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Alagna Racing LLC, and Big Als Stables.
The $12,000 subclass feature for developing distaffs went to the Bettor’s Wish filly Bettor Be A Star in 1:51.4 for the Ryder Stable – driver Patrick, trainer Chris, and the Ryder Stable ownership. Second and third in stakes competition so far his year after ending her freshman campaign in the Three Diamonds and Breeders Crown, Bettor Be A Wish came uncovered from fourth down the backstretch and did not let up the rest of the way, with her own back half in :54.4 while winning by 1 1/4 lengths over another daughter of Bettor’s Wish, Blazing Queen.
The $11,500 fast-class feature for mares was won by the Huntsville mare Strutsville, who gave a gritty performance first-over to equal her mark of 1:52, giving Patrick Ryder another feature win. The Ron Coyne Jr. trainee, owned by Nancy Retzlaff and Douglas Stout, smoked up raw while pacing her third quarter in :26.2 and gradually wore down two-moving pacesetter Absolute Power by a length.
Drivers Troy Beyer and Patrick Ryder had three victories on the card; two of Beyer’s were for 2025 Philly training champ Izzy Estrada, and two of Patrick Ryder’s trio were for trainer-father Chris. And Team Borjas/Alagna paraded back first twice, as mentioned in the lead paragraph.
Two divisions of the $13,000 fast-class pace top the Sunday menu at Harrah’s Philadelphia; the American Harness Drivers Club of amateur drivers will also be making their 2026 local bow on the 12:40 card. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – Anibal Borjas, a 43-year-old native of Guatemala best known for being an assistant admiral in the Armada of trainer Tony Alagna, has fewer than 80 driving victories in his limited sulky career, but he now has had doubles on Thursday and Friday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and his win behind Perfidious Crown (Tall Dark Stranger – Treacherous Reign) in the $14,000 featured distaff pace as the second of his Friday wins was a masterclass of tactical ability.
Borjas left very hard with Perfidious Crown as the innermost of three swift starters, with Gala, the heavy favorite, between horses, and Neil’s Diamond out widest. Gala backed off a bit as the other two went on, with Neil’s Diamond accepting the early pocket after a :27.1 opener. Gala then went up to challenge, and Borjas and Perfidious Crown pushed a bit then yielded for the new golden seat.
Gala’s career record entering this race was 8-6-2-0-$241,250-1:50.1f after a great freshman campaign in Kentucky and a 1:51 Pocono win in her seasonal bow. The frontstepping chalk reached the next two poles in :55.2 and 1:23.1, with Perfidious Crown continuing to stay connected as the opposition melted. Gala still had two lengths at the stretch call, but her arduous trip (forced to a degree by Borjas’s tactics) caught up with her just past midstretch, while Borjas and his mare never gave up and took the measure of the pacesetter by a neck to equal her mark of 1:51.1 for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Alagna Racing LLC, and Big Als Stables.
The $12,000 subclass feature for developing distaffs went to the Bettor’s Wish filly Bettor Be A Star in 1:51.4 for the Ryder Stable – driver Patrick, trainer Chris, and the Ryder Stable ownership. Second and third in stakes competition so far his year after ending her freshman campaign in the Three Diamonds and Breeders Crown, Bettor Be A Wish came uncovered from fourth down the backstretch and did not let up the rest of the way, with her own back half in :54.4 while winning by 1 1/4 lengths over another daughter of Bettor’s Wish, Blazing Queen.
The $11,500 fast-class feature for mares was won by the Huntsville mare Strutsville, who gave a gritty performance first-over to equal her mark of 1:52, giving Patrick Ryder another feature win. The Ron Coyne Jr. trainee, owned by Nancy Retzlaff and Douglas Stout, smoked up raw while pacing her third quarter in :26.2 and gradually wore down two-moving pacesetter Absolute Power by a length.
Drivers Troy Beyer and Patrick Ryder had three victories on the card; two of Beyer’s were for 2025 Philly training champ Izzy Estrada, and two of Patrick Ryder’s trio were for trainer-father Chris. And Team Borjas/Alagna paraded back first twice, as mentioned in the lead paragraph.
Two divisions of the $13,000 fast-class pace top the Sunday menu at Harrah’s Philadelphia; the American Harness Drivers Club of amateur drivers will also be making their 2026 local bow on the 12:40 card. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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