IT'S "TROTTIN' THURSDAY" AGAIN, WITH $15,000 FEATURE, AT HARRAH'S PHILADELPHIA
The Harrah's Philadelphia race office has singled out Thursday as the day area fans can usually see the best of the local trotting crop, and today is no exception, with a $15,000 event for high-level conditioned horses in the sixth race spotlight. FASHION CREDITOR is rated the early choice, with the consistent MY LOVE BI and IT'S CHOCOLATE TIME, moving to the care of Robert Bresnahan after a claim, also highly-regarded. … With the "nw 5 races" crowd moved to Wednesday this week, the co-feature will be the $14,000 fourth race, with WINBAK CHARLES M as the morning line choice. Again, NO LIVE RACING THIS SUNDAY THE 16th, EASTER SUNDAY!
3rd race: HES A CASTOFF figures to be much tighter here today after a fourth behind the tough WILBERFORCE in off going, that race coming after a 25-day layoff. This horse won 17 Maine Sire Stakes events at 2 and 3, although making unfortunate breaks in both Championships. But he's stayed flat since coming south, and he retains Tetrick today.
8th race: GREAT EMANCIPATOR won his first start upon adding Lasix and changing barns on 2-24, and since then he has not been very fortunate in working out good trips. He just might be leaving here, looking for a trip behind his lefthand neighbor on the starting gate, and might be as good as anybody, and the best value, in this collection of trotters.
12th race: SUDDEN CHANGE N made a good deal of money Down Under relative to the number of starts she made, and she does show being timed in 1:50 in her last Australian start. She made a 26.4 backstretch move to the lead in her U.S. debut, then was just caught by the horse on her back. She can be even better today, and must be respected here.
13th race: PERSEVERANT hasn't had much luck since being claimed on February 4, although he was racing good claimers and then closed to miss only two lengths against slightly better at M(1) in his last start. What's intriguing is that Vinnie Fusco Jr. regains the training of the horse, and look at his powerhouse mile for Fusco in the race where he was claimed.
WATCH OUT FOR: Following up on yesterday's story in this space about the many favorites winning in the early part of the Philly season: one source of relief has turned out to be driver Corey Callahan, as he had the biggest price of Opening Day, Elrama N at $34,00, and then this past Sunday opened the card with the highest-priced visitor to Victory Lane through the end of that day, Allwillworkout at $38.00. Corey, a winner of over 5200 races in his brief 12-year career, is the leading winner at Dover in 2017, which closes its meet today, and is third at The Meadowlands, putting him overall second in North America behind the Iron Man, Aaron Merriman.