CHESTER PA – A quartet of $12,600 featured events topped the Wednesday card at Harrah’s Philadelphia – two for pacers, one for each sex, and two open events for trotters.
The pacing distaffs were topped by the Always B Miki sophomore filly Always B Laughin, who got second-over cover in working behind a fast half, tipped wide at headstretch, and then just powered away to take a new mark of 1:51.4. Andy Miller drove the successful three-year-old for trainer/wife Julie Miller and owner George Green.
The He’s Watching gelding Comanche Creek, following a circuitous path to Harrah’s Philly that led through Kawartha Downs, Georgian Downs, and Yonkers, adjusted quickly to the local setting, taking a new mark of 1:52.1 in mastering the pacing males. Tim Tetrick made two speed moves with the Scott DiDomenco trainee, then hustled him home in :55.4 - :27.4 for an easy victory for Triple D Stables Inc. and M G Stable Inc.
In the other trotting feature, the Explosive Matter gelding Gingertree Stakias made his second start of the year a winning one, lowering his mark over three seconds with a 1:57 victory. Gingertree Stakias was sitting second when pacesetter World On Fire made a break on the far turn, with the winner inheriting the lead then holding off Givem The Goo by 1¼ lengths for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer/owner Jim Groff.
Andrew McCarthy and David Miller each had three winners on the afternoon's program.
Thursday’s feature at Philly will be a $16,200 handicap trotting event with half-million-dollar earner Mississippi Storm starting from the outside in the field of seven. On Friday, the riverside oval will host two-year-old trotting fillies in their second preliminaries in the state-sired program, with two divisions of Sire Stakes and five divisions at Stallion Series. Both cards start at 12:25 p.m.; program pages will be available at https://www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.