By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Favored Lexus Legacy was victorious in the $12,000 trotting division of the co-features on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, while the section for pacing females produced the opposite pari-mutuel Story – Spicy Story, the longest shot on the board, got home first to return $117.00 for $2 to her scattered win backers.
The sophomore Trixton gelding Lexus Legacy was moved first-over from midpack by driver Tyler Miller at the half and brushed up to and then by the leader on either side of the three quarters. Mysterious Frank, who had initially sat in then followed the winner in the outer tier, put up a good stretch challenge but came up a half length shy in the 1:57.4 mile. Ron Burke conditions the winner for a western Pennsylvania partnership known as Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Spicy Story, a daughter of Sweet Lou trained by Stacy Chiodo for Timothy Tobias Stable LLC, was in second-over position when she swung wide hearing headstretch, and she gradually made up ground on pacesetting Pirate Princess to record a head victory in 1:53.4 under the guidance of Mark Herschberger. Spicy Story had 22 board finishes in 34 lifetime stats, but perhaps recording only two wins led the wagerers to overlook her.
“Longshot mania” held sway in the very next race as well, as Jaffa Josh N, who had not won in five months and a day, had the best stretch kick to get the decision in 1:54.4, paying $84.40. It was only the third time this season that Philly had generated two $50+ win “bombers” in one racing day, and the first time in 2025 two such horses came home first in consecutive races – in fact, the latter feat was last accomplished locally on June 13, 2024. Jaffa Josh N was one of five winners driven by Simon Allard on Friday.
In an $11,000 event for fast-class distaff pacers, the Nob Hill High mare Laurel Court now has two wins and a second in three starts since coming to trainer Ed Gannon Jr. after a 1:53 victory. Favored Louisville GB, 18-for-36 lifetime coming into the race, moved three-wide and took a short advantage towards midstretch, but Simon Allard, who had raced the winner in the pocket, got a sharp burst from Laurel Court when she cleared inside, overcoming the chalk’s momentum edge with the half length victory for Jeff Fought Racing and Brian Carsey.
Harrah’s Philadelphia concludes its racing week with a Sunday card at 12:40, for which there will be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 (no surprise since Spicy Story and Jaffa Josh N won Friday’s fifth and sixth races). The next two weeks, Thursday and Friday racing will each feature two events in the Liberty Bell Stakes series, with racing at 12:25 except for Halloween, Friday October 31, when the post change to 2:30 p.m. will not be precipitated by goblins, but by the Breeders Cup weekend. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – Favored Lexus Legacy was victorious in the $12,000 trotting division of the co-features on Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, while the section for pacing females produced the opposite pari-mutuel Story – Spicy Story, the longest shot on the board, got home first to return $117.00 for $2 to her scattered win backers.
The sophomore Trixton gelding Lexus Legacy was moved first-over from midpack by driver Tyler Miller at the half and brushed up to and then by the leader on either side of the three quarters. Mysterious Frank, who had initially sat in then followed the winner in the outer tier, put up a good stretch challenge but came up a half length shy in the 1:57.4 mile. Ron Burke conditions the winner for a western Pennsylvania partnership known as Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.
Spicy Story, a daughter of Sweet Lou trained by Stacy Chiodo for Timothy Tobias Stable LLC, was in second-over position when she swung wide hearing headstretch, and she gradually made up ground on pacesetting Pirate Princess to record a head victory in 1:53.4 under the guidance of Mark Herschberger. Spicy Story had 22 board finishes in 34 lifetime stats, but perhaps recording only two wins led the wagerers to overlook her.
“Longshot mania” held sway in the very next race as well, as Jaffa Josh N, who had not won in five months and a day, had the best stretch kick to get the decision in 1:54.4, paying $84.40. It was only the third time this season that Philly had generated two $50+ win “bombers” in one racing day, and the first time in 2025 two such horses came home first in consecutive races – in fact, the latter feat was last accomplished locally on June 13, 2024. Jaffa Josh N was one of five winners driven by Simon Allard on Friday.
In an $11,000 event for fast-class distaff pacers, the Nob Hill High mare Laurel Court now has two wins and a second in three starts since coming to trainer Ed Gannon Jr. after a 1:53 victory. Favored Louisville GB, 18-for-36 lifetime coming into the race, moved three-wide and took a short advantage towards midstretch, but Simon Allard, who had raced the winner in the pocket, got a sharp burst from Laurel Court when she cleared inside, overcoming the chalk’s momentum edge with the half length victory for Jeff Fought Racing and Brian Carsey.
Harrah’s Philadelphia concludes its racing week with a Sunday card at 12:40, for which there will be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 (no surprise since Spicy Story and Jaffa Josh N won Friday’s fifth and sixth races). The next two weeks, Thursday and Friday racing will each feature two events in the Liberty Bell Stakes series, with racing at 12:25 except for Halloween, Friday October 31, when the post change to 2:30 p.m. will not be precipitated by goblins, but by the Breeders Cup weekend. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
RSS Feed
