CHESTER PA – Northern Baccarat and Barefoot’NPregnant won the $12,600 featured paces on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia – and amazingly for the speed-favoring track, they were the only two horses to lead their fields at both the halfway point and the finish.
The Bettor’s Delight gelding Northern Baccarat made an early pace-controlling move for Tim Tetrick, the track’s leading driver who added four more to his total today, rated the half, then sprinted home in :55.4 - :27.3 to draw clear in a career-best 1:52.4 in the feature for males. Paul Stafford trains the improving four-year-old, now victorious in three of his last six outings, for owner Thomas Ceraso Jr.
The $11,200 fast-class pace for veteran performers went to the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Bombshell Hanover, who has worked out a pocket trip in four of his last five starts, with two wins and two seconds; here he sat behind a tough opponent in Somebaddude, then came up the inside in the stretch to hang a neck decision on him while equaling his mark of 1:50.4. Simon Allard guided the Josh Green trainee for the KDP Stable LLC.
Tomorrow’s “Trottin’ Thursday” card at Philly featured two $14,400 divisions of classclimbing trotters, along with a $13,000 fast-class event for the diamondgaited horses. On Friday, Harrah’s will celebrate its 15th Anniversary, with the nostalgia and festivities, along with the racing card, beginning at 6 p.m. Program pages are available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.