CHESTER PA -- Le mastodonte canadien-français, “the French-Canadian juggernaut,” came blasting through Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon, with the Captaintreacherous sophomore colt Calicojack Hanover winning the $13,500 handicap pacing feature in 1:51.4 for driver Daniel Dube, trainer Luc Blais, and Determination.
When you go to an overnight race after finishing fourth behind Mirage Hanover, Nijinsky, and Captain Albano, you deserve to be the heavy favorite; the crowd bet Calicojack Hanover as such, and Dube drove him that way, moving him to the lead past a :26.4 quarter and getting a breather to the half in :56.2. From there the pacer sped him in :55.2 - :27.1 to leave his opposition well behind him, with Dube asking little of the three-year-old late.
An $11,000 co-feature went to Contact Zone, a son of Bettor’s Delight who paced his own last half in 55.1 to succeed in 1:52.2 for trainer Izzy Estrada and Estrada Racing LLC. David Miller worked out a two-hole journey then moved Contact Zone into the inside passing zone, where he could produce a bit more pace then the first-over favorite, Braeview Bondi A, winning by a neck.
And then there were the longshots.
Gatsby paid $56.00 for a deuce in the second race, and Ginger Tree Liz paid $51.00 in the sixth as trainer Chris Temming tied for the meet lead with Joe Eisenhower Sr. with his second “bomber” of the season.
But they were the opening acts for the Badlands Hanover colt Boris Badenov, who closed strongly to catch Moose and Squirrel, er, Steam Play and Captain Fear and break his maiden while returning $201.00, biggest win payoff of the local year. Driver Jack Pelling now has had three of the last five “bombers” at Philly and is tied at three with Troy Beyer for the meet lead in $50+ horses. November 10 joined October 13 as a “triple longshot day” at the riverside oval.
David Miller topped all horsemen with three winners Sunday, giving him eight for the week at Philly.
Harrah’s Philly will be racing this week and next on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40; Thursday’s card will feature a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 pool. On Thanksgiving week, Philly will be dark for live racing on Thursday and Friday, resuming on Sunday, December 1. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.