By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Honolulu Hanover came from way off the pace to post a 1:55.4 upset victory in the $14,000 trotting feature on the final card of 2025 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which had a twilight start and was contested over fast going with the temperatures not varying much from freezing.
Honolulu Hanover picked up good cover from favored Kewpie Doll down the backstretch, then was swung wide late on the final turn by driver Mark Herschberger. Kewpie Doll went on well, but the Bar Hopping sophomore colt Honolulu Hanover went on even better to win by 1½ lengths over the chalk for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin. You usually don’t associate $55.00 win payoffs with horses from the stable of the Dan Patch Trainer of the Year, but a bomber winner for Herschberger was certainly not unprecedented – he tied with Johnathan Ahle and Patrick Ryder with three big-payoff winners, the most at Philly for the meet.
Trainer Tony Alagna brought a pair of Exit 16W pop-up series competitors from north Jersey to Philly and won the two classes below the feature. Benny J, a son of Walner who won the final of his series in his last start, rushed right to the lead in the $13,500 sub-feature and was not severely threatened throughout in a 1:55.1 tally. Johnathan Ahle drove the winner for owner Kenneth Jacobs.
The Alagna Armada came back in the very next race with Fiftyshadesofblu, an altered three-year--old son of Fiftydallarbill who made the lead at the half and soon widened out to an uncatchable margin as he lowered his race record to 1:55.3 (a time in which he had previously won a qualifier). Anibal Borjas had the driving assignment in the $12,000 trot and made the most of it for owners John Bernard and Alagna Racing LLC.
In the card’s $11,000 contest for fast-class trotters, B Nicking was on top in three steps for driver Jack Pelling and never looked back in a safe 1:55.2 victory. Favored Ritson sat in the two-hole but could not catch the victorious Wishing Stone gelding, trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Ben Robards, and now a winner of $529,566.
Top pacing purse on the day was the $12,000 offered developing pacers, which was won by the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Stay Focused in 1:53.1. George Napolitano Jr. moved with the Ron Burke trainee in front of the stands, was kept outside until getting the pocket late in the backstretch, then continued inside and had more than the closing heavy favorite Rider Hanover by a head for owner Bradley Grant.
Trainer Bob Belcher started the Sweet Lou gelding Leroy Gibbs in a bottom-level conditioned pace after the horse came to him from The Meadows, and “Leroy” won very impressively – so impressively, in fact, that Belcher and P T Stable had no hesitation to put him in for a $20,000 tag in the $11,000 claiming handicap pace. And Leroy Gibbs justified this confidence (and that of the crowd, which bet him down to 2-1) by riding outside the entire mile, yet still drawing off in the stretch to be the easiest of winners in 1:54.3 for driver Ridge Warren.
Warren took closing night honors with four victories; Brandon Givens had three successes in the sulky, and George Napolitano Jr. and Jack Pelling had doubles. On the training side, there were five doubles, by Tony Alagna, Bob Belcher, Scott Brockwell, Ron Burke, and Scott Di Domenico.
As it was the final night of the 2025 season, all bets normally “carryovers” were paid out even if nobody had a perfect ticket. The Pick 5 consisted of winners sent off at 9-2, 2-1, 16-1, and 23-1 in the first four legs, and even with a $2.20 horse in the last segment, nobody had all five, so those with four of five winners received $318.60 for a 50-cent wager.
Indeed, only three of fifteen favorites won on Wednesday, as further evidenced by these statistics: there was a 50-cent Superfecta returning $5226.80 and four more paying over $1000, and the two Pick 4 50-cent wagers paid $6789.05 and $2348.45 – and all of these last seven had at least one winning combination sold.
Tim Tetrick won his eleventh Harrah’s driving victory crown with 187 visits to Victory Lane; he and George Napolitano Jr., who was second in 2025, have been the only two Harrah’s leaders in sulky wins since Cat Manzi claimed the title in the oval’s inaugural campaign of 2006. Tetrick also won his twelfth UDR title with a “batting average” of .420 – only 1/1000th behind Joe Bongiorno’s all-time Philly mark of .421..
Trainer Izzy Estrada, who was particularly devastating with first-time starters for his barn, captured his first training win championship with 66 winners coming from his shedrow. Åke Svanstedt captured his second straight UTR title at Philly, and this year he rung up a .523 percentage, a single season local mark!
Live racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday, April 10, 2026; the track will stay open for simulcasting wagering. In addition, Philly’s PHHA “sister track,” Pocono, opens its 2026 live season on Saturday, February 13.
CHESTER PA – Honolulu Hanover came from way off the pace to post a 1:55.4 upset victory in the $14,000 trotting feature on the final card of 2025 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, which had a twilight start and was contested over fast going with the temperatures not varying much from freezing.
Honolulu Hanover picked up good cover from favored Kewpie Doll down the backstretch, then was swung wide late on the final turn by driver Mark Herschberger. Kewpie Doll went on well, but the Bar Hopping sophomore colt Honolulu Hanover went on even better to win by 1½ lengths over the chalk for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, William Switala and James Martin. You usually don’t associate $55.00 win payoffs with horses from the stable of the Dan Patch Trainer of the Year, but a bomber winner for Herschberger was certainly not unprecedented – he tied with Johnathan Ahle and Patrick Ryder with three big-payoff winners, the most at Philly for the meet.
Trainer Tony Alagna brought a pair of Exit 16W pop-up series competitors from north Jersey to Philly and won the two classes below the feature. Benny J, a son of Walner who won the final of his series in his last start, rushed right to the lead in the $13,500 sub-feature and was not severely threatened throughout in a 1:55.1 tally. Johnathan Ahle drove the winner for owner Kenneth Jacobs.
The Alagna Armada came back in the very next race with Fiftyshadesofblu, an altered three-year--old son of Fiftydallarbill who made the lead at the half and soon widened out to an uncatchable margin as he lowered his race record to 1:55.3 (a time in which he had previously won a qualifier). Anibal Borjas had the driving assignment in the $12,000 trot and made the most of it for owners John Bernard and Alagna Racing LLC.
In the card’s $11,000 contest for fast-class trotters, B Nicking was on top in three steps for driver Jack Pelling and never looked back in a safe 1:55.2 victory. Favored Ritson sat in the two-hole but could not catch the victorious Wishing Stone gelding, trained by Scott Di Domenico for owner Ben Robards, and now a winner of $529,566.
Top pacing purse on the day was the $12,000 offered developing pacers, which was won by the Stay Hungry sophomore gelding Stay Focused in 1:53.1. George Napolitano Jr. moved with the Ron Burke trainee in front of the stands, was kept outside until getting the pocket late in the backstretch, then continued inside and had more than the closing heavy favorite Rider Hanover by a head for owner Bradley Grant.
Trainer Bob Belcher started the Sweet Lou gelding Leroy Gibbs in a bottom-level conditioned pace after the horse came to him from The Meadows, and “Leroy” won very impressively – so impressively, in fact, that Belcher and P T Stable had no hesitation to put him in for a $20,000 tag in the $11,000 claiming handicap pace. And Leroy Gibbs justified this confidence (and that of the crowd, which bet him down to 2-1) by riding outside the entire mile, yet still drawing off in the stretch to be the easiest of winners in 1:54.3 for driver Ridge Warren.
Warren took closing night honors with four victories; Brandon Givens had three successes in the sulky, and George Napolitano Jr. and Jack Pelling had doubles. On the training side, there were five doubles, by Tony Alagna, Bob Belcher, Scott Brockwell, Ron Burke, and Scott Di Domenico.
As it was the final night of the 2025 season, all bets normally “carryovers” were paid out even if nobody had a perfect ticket. The Pick 5 consisted of winners sent off at 9-2, 2-1, 16-1, and 23-1 in the first four legs, and even with a $2.20 horse in the last segment, nobody had all five, so those with four of five winners received $318.60 for a 50-cent wager.
Indeed, only three of fifteen favorites won on Wednesday, as further evidenced by these statistics: there was a 50-cent Superfecta returning $5226.80 and four more paying over $1000, and the two Pick 4 50-cent wagers paid $6789.05 and $2348.45 – and all of these last seven had at least one winning combination sold.
Tim Tetrick won his eleventh Harrah’s driving victory crown with 187 visits to Victory Lane; he and George Napolitano Jr., who was second in 2025, have been the only two Harrah’s leaders in sulky wins since Cat Manzi claimed the title in the oval’s inaugural campaign of 2006. Tetrick also won his twelfth UDR title with a “batting average” of .420 – only 1/1000th behind Joe Bongiorno’s all-time Philly mark of .421..
Trainer Izzy Estrada, who was particularly devastating with first-time starters for his barn, captured his first training win championship with 66 winners coming from his shedrow. Åke Svanstedt captured his second straight UTR title at Philly, and this year he rung up a .523 percentage, a single season local mark!
Live racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday, April 10, 2026; the track will stay open for simulcasting wagering. In addition, Philly’s PHHA “sister track,” Pocono, opens its 2026 live season on Saturday, February 13.
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