By: Jerry Conors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – On “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the feature for developing horses went for $13,500, and the Cantab Hall filly Tabdone made it the opportunity to post her third straight win, taking the lead at the quarter and rolling on to victory in a lifetime best 1:54.
Four out the five horses in the feature were on the gate and looking for early position, with Tabdone clearing Camera Man to lead at the :28.2 quarter. Relatively soft middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.3 were hung up, and then trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer asked his filly for more and she responded nicely, stepping a :27.2 last quarter to defeat Camera Man by two lengths for Purple Haze Stables LLC.
The $13,000 co-feature, for fast-class trotters, saw French Wine, second in the Hambletonian Maturity in 2024, pick up his first win in a year and nine days with a 1:53.2 tally. Andy Miller directed the winning son of Bar Hopping into the two-hole behind fellow even-money shot Cecil Hanover (the pacesetter was the slight choice), waited through :28.1, :56.4, and 1:25 splits, then dove to the inside passing lane and went on to win by two lengths, with third-in Credit Con edging Cecil Hanover for the deuce. Julie Miller trains the winner of $1,236,469 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Daniel and Jean Christophe Plouffe, and One Legend Stable Inc.
The assembled talent of seasoned diagonally-gaited horses produced no fewer than seven sub-1:55f miles in the spirited competition throughout the hot day.
There was also a pair of $11,000 races for two-year-old trotters, one for each sex. Making a most impressive purse bow was San Patricio, a Swan For All – Kaikoura gelding who after a tune-up win in a morning event won easily in 1:57.1 for trainer John Butenschoen, red-hot with freshman trotters along the eastern Pennsylvania corridor, and owners Tony and Michael Holmes, June Zent, and Timothy Thornton. Andrew McCarthy, sitting fifth with the fast baby down the backstretch, backed out behind a parked horse then swung his charge three-wide just past the three-quarters and got back fractions of :57 - :28.1 out of him as the pair trotted off from the opposition.
After earlier capturing the day’s featured event, Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze had another impressive win with the freshman filly Islandgirl Hanover, who was ready off a winning qualifier to immediately break her maiden in 1:57.4. Sitting third much of the way until nearing the far turn, Islandgirl Hanover grinded home in :57 - :27.3 to catch pacesetter French Echo by a neck.
While the feature events eluded him, Philly’s four-time defending driving champion Tim Tetrick brought home four winners as he continues to build a sizable lead towards capturing consecutive crown number five.
Harrah’s Philly will race on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, and then the schedule will expand for the month of July as five Wednesday cards will be held, beginning at 12:25 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – On “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, the feature for developing horses went for $13,500, and the Cantab Hall filly Tabdone made it the opportunity to post her third straight win, taking the lead at the quarter and rolling on to victory in a lifetime best 1:54.
Four out the five horses in the feature were on the gate and looking for early position, with Tabdone clearing Camera Man to lead at the :28.2 quarter. Relatively soft middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.3 were hung up, and then trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer asked his filly for more and she responded nicely, stepping a :27.2 last quarter to defeat Camera Man by two lengths for Purple Haze Stables LLC.
The $13,000 co-feature, for fast-class trotters, saw French Wine, second in the Hambletonian Maturity in 2024, pick up his first win in a year and nine days with a 1:53.2 tally. Andy Miller directed the winning son of Bar Hopping into the two-hole behind fellow even-money shot Cecil Hanover (the pacesetter was the slight choice), waited through :28.1, :56.4, and 1:25 splits, then dove to the inside passing lane and went on to win by two lengths, with third-in Credit Con edging Cecil Hanover for the deuce. Julie Miller trains the winner of $1,236,469 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Daniel and Jean Christophe Plouffe, and One Legend Stable Inc.
The assembled talent of seasoned diagonally-gaited horses produced no fewer than seven sub-1:55f miles in the spirited competition throughout the hot day.
There was also a pair of $11,000 races for two-year-old trotters, one for each sex. Making a most impressive purse bow was San Patricio, a Swan For All – Kaikoura gelding who after a tune-up win in a morning event won easily in 1:57.1 for trainer John Butenschoen, red-hot with freshman trotters along the eastern Pennsylvania corridor, and owners Tony and Michael Holmes, June Zent, and Timothy Thornton. Andrew McCarthy, sitting fifth with the fast baby down the backstretch, backed out behind a parked horse then swung his charge three-wide just past the three-quarters and got back fractions of :57 - :28.1 out of him as the pair trotted off from the opposition.
After earlier capturing the day’s featured event, Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze had another impressive win with the freshman filly Islandgirl Hanover, who was ready off a winning qualifier to immediately break her maiden in 1:57.4. Sitting third much of the way until nearing the far turn, Islandgirl Hanover grinded home in :57 - :27.3 to catch pacesetter French Echo by a neck.
While the feature events eluded him, Philly’s four-time defending driving champion Tim Tetrick brought home four winners as he continues to build a sizable lead towards capturing consecutive crown number five.
Harrah’s Philly will race on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, and then the schedule will expand for the month of July as five Wednesday cards will be held, beginning at 12:25 p.m. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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