CHESTER PA – Lazurus (the trotter, not the imported pacer) went wire-to-wire in the $12,500 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia, taking advantage of misfortune suffered by favored Tony Soprano to win in 1:55.3.
Tim Tetrick, second in the drivers standings both at Philly (he had five wins on Wednesday) and in North America, guided the Credit Winner gelding to the lead before the :28.2 quarter, then was able to regulate the tempo to :57.4 and 1:26.3, with horses occupying but not gaining in the two- and three-wide tiers, before sprinting clear at headstretch to stretch his lifetime bankroll to $303,656 for trainer Scott DiDomenico and the ownership of Mr. Dana Parham and the Triple D Stables Inc.
No single ticket solved the Jackpot Hi-5 bet today, so the carryover going into Thursday’s card is $20,514.09.
The PA-sired three-year-old trotting fillies are gathered at Philly Friday for the first time in 2019, with four divisions of Sire Stakes and five sections of Stallion Series action. The defending Sire Stakes champion Windy Lover and Stallion Series champion Navarone Hanover both meet in the same division, but they will have to face Magical Beliefs, a Lady Suffolk winner in her first start of the year. Other well-known names include Sonnet Grace and Fraulein Blucher, going head-to-head; Asiago, a recent Meadowlands winner in 1:53.4; and Millie’s Possesion, who may not know how to spell but won her career debut in 1:56 here.
On Sunday, a full field of nine has been attracted to a $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series event for the open pacers – headlining will be Donttellmeagain, the last conqueror of 2018 Horse of the Year McWicked; recent 1:50.1 Philly winner Tiger Thompson N; and the evergreen Scott Rocks.