By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – Harrah’s Philadelphia is normally a track that is kind to horses racing in a forward position for much of the mile, and with the temperature hovering at 90oF on Sunday afternoon, that tendency was even more pronounced, with thirteen of the fourteen winners triumphing after setting the pace or riding in the two-hole.
The biggest purse of the day, $14,000 was offered to pacers headed to the uppermost rungs of the class ladder, and the American Ideal colt Show Me Your Ace was a pocket rocket, closing from behind fractions of :27.2, :55.1, and 1:23 to win in 1:50.4, a lifetime mark. Team Ryder is behind this sophomore – Patrick drives and Chris trains, with Chris also the co-owner with Anne Demers, Lawrence Minowitz (of Miki And Minnie fame), and Åke Svanstedt (of trotting fame).
A $12,000 undefeature for developing types set was taken by the pacesetting Good Friday, a Tall Dark Stranger gelding who made every pole a winning one in 1:53, with the :27.3 last quarter earning him a new mark. Corey Callahan had sulky duty for trainer Tom Shay and owners Howard Taylor and Teena Freibert.
The top contest for the fast-class pacing set, worth $13,000, went to the Harrington invader Wehadababyetzaboy, a Sweet Lou gelding whom driver Patrick Ryder hustled to the front quickly and went splits of :26.2, :54.4, and 1:22. Spring Blake was slightly-favored over the winner, and made a good chase from the pocket, but Wehadababyetzaboy stayed strong to win by 1¾ lengths in a career best 1:49.3 for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and EVM Racing LLC.
There were two $11,500 fast-class subfeatures, with one going to Wedlock Blue Chip, an improving son of Bettor’s Wish who lowered his mark to 1:50.2 on the engine, showing :54 - :26.4 speed coming home to win handily for driver Troy Beyer, trainer Polie Mallar, and owner Richard Cortese. The companion subfeature saw the only “anti-bias” winner in all of the day’s races, as the Stay Hungry gelding Stay Grounded came first-over and paced his back half in :54.3 to nip pacesetting Lochlan Hanover in Mark Herschberger guided the winner for trainer Noel Daley, the latter co-owner with Dean Ehrgott and Waldron Matthews.
Corey Callahan (an ice hockey player in college) adapted to the hot conditions nicely and brought home five winners; Patrick Ryder visited Victory Lane three times, and Mark Herschberger joined George Napolitano Jr. in doing so twice.
Plenty of two-year-olds will be out for early lessons during a Tuesday morning qualifying session at Philly; the next pari-mutuel card will be on “Trottin’ Thursday”,” with on the one hand a $16,000 handicap event for established older horses, and on the other the first betting action for babies, with trotters of both sexes having a race apiece. Replays of the Tuesday qualifiers, and free Philly program pages, are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – Harrah’s Philadelphia is normally a track that is kind to horses racing in a forward position for much of the mile, and with the temperature hovering at 90oF on Sunday afternoon, that tendency was even more pronounced, with thirteen of the fourteen winners triumphing after setting the pace or riding in the two-hole.
The biggest purse of the day, $14,000 was offered to pacers headed to the uppermost rungs of the class ladder, and the American Ideal colt Show Me Your Ace was a pocket rocket, closing from behind fractions of :27.2, :55.1, and 1:23 to win in 1:50.4, a lifetime mark. Team Ryder is behind this sophomore – Patrick drives and Chris trains, with Chris also the co-owner with Anne Demers, Lawrence Minowitz (of Miki And Minnie fame), and Åke Svanstedt (of trotting fame).
A $12,000 undefeature for developing types set was taken by the pacesetting Good Friday, a Tall Dark Stranger gelding who made every pole a winning one in 1:53, with the :27.3 last quarter earning him a new mark. Corey Callahan had sulky duty for trainer Tom Shay and owners Howard Taylor and Teena Freibert.
The top contest for the fast-class pacing set, worth $13,000, went to the Harrington invader Wehadababyetzaboy, a Sweet Lou gelding whom driver Patrick Ryder hustled to the front quickly and went splits of :26.2, :54.4, and 1:22. Spring Blake was slightly-favored over the winner, and made a good chase from the pocket, but Wehadababyetzaboy stayed strong to win by 1¾ lengths in a career best 1:49.3 for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and EVM Racing LLC.
There were two $11,500 fast-class subfeatures, with one going to Wedlock Blue Chip, an improving son of Bettor’s Wish who lowered his mark to 1:50.2 on the engine, showing :54 - :26.4 speed coming home to win handily for driver Troy Beyer, trainer Polie Mallar, and owner Richard Cortese. The companion subfeature saw the only “anti-bias” winner in all of the day’s races, as the Stay Hungry gelding Stay Grounded came first-over and paced his back half in :54.3 to nip pacesetting Lochlan Hanover in Mark Herschberger guided the winner for trainer Noel Daley, the latter co-owner with Dean Ehrgott and Waldron Matthews.
Corey Callahan (an ice hockey player in college) adapted to the hot conditions nicely and brought home five winners; Patrick Ryder visited Victory Lane three times, and Mark Herschberger joined George Napolitano Jr. in doing so twice.
Plenty of two-year-olds will be out for early lessons during a Tuesday morning qualifying session at Philly; the next pari-mutuel card will be on “Trottin’ Thursday”,” with on the one hand a $16,000 handicap event for established older horses, and on the other the first betting action for babies, with trotters of both sexes having a race apiece. Replays of the Tuesday qualifiers, and free Philly program pages, are or will be available at www.phha.org.
RSS Feed
