By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – They were three-across the track at the finish of the $13,500 conditioned trot for developing horses Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the Greenshoe three-year-old gelding Hey Porter taking advantage of the perfect trip to catch determined pacesetter Moni Buys Happynes by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:55.
Tim Tetrick, who drove four winners before heading to Dover for twilight action, got the winner away in the pocket behind the filly Moni Buys Happynes, who laid down fractions of :27.4, :57.3, and 1:26.3, by the third station having Clear For Landing, who had won four of his last six, up raw to challenge. The leader withstood the outside pressure, but Hey Porter still had a relatively-full tank inside of her, and he prevailed by a neck, with Clear For Landing only another half-length back.
Hey Porter had been winless in 2025, though he had eight board finishes to his credit while racing Pennsylvania and Midwest stakes company. Here he made the seasonal breakthrough for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.
There were also two $12,000 trots for horses just below the feature level. The quicker split went to the Googoo Gaagaa three-year-old gelding Yardbird, who has now won two of three recent races since putting on the trotting hopples not long ago. Here he grinded uncovered from midbackstretch and worked by pacesetting DW’s Lady Diva by a length in 1:59. Patrick Ryder did the sulkysitting behind the winner of four of his last eight starts for trainer Jim Groff, also co-owner with Jeff Dorn.
The other division went to the Cantab Hall sophomore colt Hatfield, winning his second start for connections, owner P T Stable and trainer Bob Belcher. Hatfield was sent to the lead by George Napolitano Jr. and held his advantage throughout in 1:59.1, with favored Entertain Me again having just a little too far to come and being 1¼ lengths behind the winner but winning a three-horse picture for place.
In the $11,000 trot for fast-class horses, Benjamin Hanover, the heavy favorite, set fractions of :28.3, :56.2, and 1:25, then went on to ward off a sturdy stretch bid by the 39-1 three-year-old Scudo Hanover by a neck in 1:53. Tim Tetrick, the meet’s leading driver, was in the sulky behind Benjamin Hanover, an altered son of Sebastian K S who is trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Angela Cornell.
Harrah’s races Friday at 12:25, with the third and final preliminary of the popular series for $10,000 pacers going in five $8000 divisions – with no horse able to take wins in the first two legs . There will be Sunday racing at 12:40, and then Philly will be dark on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, being back in action on Sunday, November 30 – and featuring the $12,500 Championship of the series for claimers.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – They were three-across the track at the finish of the $13,500 conditioned trot for developing horses Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the Greenshoe three-year-old gelding Hey Porter taking advantage of the perfect trip to catch determined pacesetter Moni Buys Happynes by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:55.
Tim Tetrick, who drove four winners before heading to Dover for twilight action, got the winner away in the pocket behind the filly Moni Buys Happynes, who laid down fractions of :27.4, :57.3, and 1:26.3, by the third station having Clear For Landing, who had won four of his last six, up raw to challenge. The leader withstood the outside pressure, but Hey Porter still had a relatively-full tank inside of her, and he prevailed by a neck, with Clear For Landing only another half-length back.
Hey Porter had been winless in 2025, though he had eight board finishes to his credit while racing Pennsylvania and Midwest stakes company. Here he made the seasonal breakthrough for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.
There were also two $12,000 trots for horses just below the feature level. The quicker split went to the Googoo Gaagaa three-year-old gelding Yardbird, who has now won two of three recent races since putting on the trotting hopples not long ago. Here he grinded uncovered from midbackstretch and worked by pacesetting DW’s Lady Diva by a length in 1:59. Patrick Ryder did the sulkysitting behind the winner of four of his last eight starts for trainer Jim Groff, also co-owner with Jeff Dorn.
The other division went to the Cantab Hall sophomore colt Hatfield, winning his second start for connections, owner P T Stable and trainer Bob Belcher. Hatfield was sent to the lead by George Napolitano Jr. and held his advantage throughout in 1:59.1, with favored Entertain Me again having just a little too far to come and being 1¼ lengths behind the winner but winning a three-horse picture for place.
In the $11,000 trot for fast-class horses, Benjamin Hanover, the heavy favorite, set fractions of :28.3, :56.2, and 1:25, then went on to ward off a sturdy stretch bid by the 39-1 three-year-old Scudo Hanover by a neck in 1:53. Tim Tetrick, the meet’s leading driver, was in the sulky behind Benjamin Hanover, an altered son of Sebastian K S who is trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Angela Cornell.
Harrah’s races Friday at 12:25, with the third and final preliminary of the popular series for $10,000 pacers going in five $8000 divisions – with no horse able to take wins in the first two legs . There will be Sunday racing at 12:40, and then Philly will be dark on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, being back in action on Sunday, November 30 – and featuring the $12,500 Championship of the series for claimers.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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