CAR KEYS AGAIN SHOWS BIG MOTOR, WINS PHILLY FEATURE

By: Jerry Connors, Jr. 
​CHESTER PA – In last Friday’s $14,000 featured pace for females at Harrah’s Philadelphia, Car Keys got to set a :57.2 half, then outsprinted the opposition home. This Friday, she was forced to take back, but found lively cover and came from behind to win again in 1:50.4.
 
Art Stafford Jr., the driver for the winning Always B Miki sophomore filly on Friday, had her up on the bit at the start, but saw waves of early position seekers inside of him and took the filly back. Daisy Diana N, second to Car Keys last week, yielded the lead nearing the quarter, which was covered in a spirited :26.2, but was quickly back out to regain control, reaching the half in :55 and still on top at the 1:22.2 three quarters as Amira Hanover, the winner of a Lynch Consolation at Pocono last week, launched a serious uncovered bid.
 
Car Keys at first couldn’t quite go with the first-over, but she found a better gear going into the far turn, then tipped wide in the stretch. The Chris Ryder-trained winner had the most late foot, defeating the game Amira Hanover by a length for owners Margaret Dey and Matthew Stolte.
 
There were two divisions of a subfeatured $12,000 pacing class, one race for each sex. Stafford also drove the winner of the division for females, the Heston Blue Chip mare Hobby Gone Crazy, who turned in a :55 back half from the pocket to catch 36-1 pacesetter Sheer Heart Attack by a half length in a 1:53 mile. Stacy Johnson-Stafford conditions the winner for Mr. Gary Wayne Rhodes and Ashton Stafford.
 
The division of the co-feature for males was won by another horse who rallied from the two-hole, the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Iscah Hanover, who had enough rally to catch beleaguered pacesetter Drive For Show by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:53.1.  Jim Marohn Jr. had the drive for trainer John Bavosi and owner Jeff Dauplaise.
 
Mentioned should also be made of Bett On Mookie, a freshman colt by Lather Up – Bluffs Real Deal who powered away from his traffic-hampered main opposition the last half to win by six lengths in the eye-opening time of 1:51.1 in his second lifetime start, both victories. Montrell Teague drove the fast freshman for trainer Elizabeth Murphy and MST Racing Inc.
 
Art Stafford Jr. had a big day at Philly on Friday, bringing home four winners. Doubles were posted by Simon Allard, Jim Marohn Jr., and Trey Porter.
 
The next card at Philly, on Sunday at 12:40, offers the biggest purse bounty of the year at the track – over $1.4 million -- as Harrah’s Philadelphia hosts the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships and consolation races for the three-year-old class; well-known performers such as Loua Dipa, Al Papi, and Melillo will be among  the national stars competing.
 
Next week, Philly will be racing Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and then a special Saturday night card at 6 p.m. to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Harrah’s track, complete with a return of the Colonial Trot and a variety of entertainment and consumable options (no racing on Sunday, September 13).
 
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.