By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – The Uncle Lasse gelding Tarpon Springs S, a recent import from Sweden, won his second race in as many starts on U.S. soil when he triumphed in the $12,000 featured trot during the next-to-last card of the year at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday.
Andy Miller got Tarpon Springs S away in the pocket behind his main rival Pisces Rising, who got fairly soft early numbers of :28.3 and :59.2. The pacesetter had to hasten the tempo to 1:27.2 for the three-quarters to see off the first-over challenger, and when Tarpon Springs S was moved outside into the stretch, he had enough in the tank to win by 1¾ lengths in 1:57.2. Joe Bongiorno trains the winner for Robert Weinstein, Nicole Diconstanzo, Thomas Svensen, and Nicklas Osetergaard-Andersen.
Miller also brought home another trotter whose recent record is 2-for-2 – the Greenshoe-Flyer Mel freshman gelding Green Mel, still never tasting defeat in his career after trotting his back quarters in :29 to earn a new mark of 1:56.3. The baby appears worth the wait as he was much the best here for trainer Julie Miller and the ownership of Willow Oak Ranch and Michael Anderson.
When Tim Tetrick last drove at Philly on December 20, he left having a nineteen win advantage in the drivers dash race. But since then George Napolitano Jr. has won thirteen races in four cards, including the four he took on the Sunday program, reducing Tetrick’s lead to six (177-171). “GNap” has drives in all fourteen races on Tuesday’s season-ending 4 p.m. card – including six morning line favorites!
(But ironically, George won’t even be the highest-UDR Napolitano at Philly this year – brother Anthony showed up for his one and only 2024 drive here Sunday and promptly rewarded those who follow the “lone shipping driver” angle by paying $24.20 with Getaway. Even George’s current lofty .365 won’t trump Anthony’s 1.000.)
A final note: the last card of the season at Philly has one remarkable recent “past performance line.” In 2021 one driver won ten races on the last program of the year, tying the track record established in 2009 (and equaled by Yannick Gingras this year). The ten-bagger was completed when an 11-1 shot overhauled a 1-5 shot in the stretch; the hot-handed driver was Tim Tetrick, who caught a favorite driven by George Napolitano Jr. – whose ten-win local record Tetrick tied! Nothing is for sure at Philly when these two are in play – they’ve won seventeen of the eighteen win titles in the track’s history and fourteen of the eighteen UDR crowns.
The racing will begin at Philly on Tuesday at the special post of 4 p.m.; free program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – The Uncle Lasse gelding Tarpon Springs S, a recent import from Sweden, won his second race in as many starts on U.S. soil when he triumphed in the $12,000 featured trot during the next-to-last card of the year at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday.
Andy Miller got Tarpon Springs S away in the pocket behind his main rival Pisces Rising, who got fairly soft early numbers of :28.3 and :59.2. The pacesetter had to hasten the tempo to 1:27.2 for the three-quarters to see off the first-over challenger, and when Tarpon Springs S was moved outside into the stretch, he had enough in the tank to win by 1¾ lengths in 1:57.2. Joe Bongiorno trains the winner for Robert Weinstein, Nicole Diconstanzo, Thomas Svensen, and Nicklas Osetergaard-Andersen.
Miller also brought home another trotter whose recent record is 2-for-2 – the Greenshoe-Flyer Mel freshman gelding Green Mel, still never tasting defeat in his career after trotting his back quarters in :29 to earn a new mark of 1:56.3. The baby appears worth the wait as he was much the best here for trainer Julie Miller and the ownership of Willow Oak Ranch and Michael Anderson.
When Tim Tetrick last drove at Philly on December 20, he left having a nineteen win advantage in the drivers dash race. But since then George Napolitano Jr. has won thirteen races in four cards, including the four he took on the Sunday program, reducing Tetrick’s lead to six (177-171). “GNap” has drives in all fourteen races on Tuesday’s season-ending 4 p.m. card – including six morning line favorites!
(But ironically, George won’t even be the highest-UDR Napolitano at Philly this year – brother Anthony showed up for his one and only 2024 drive here Sunday and promptly rewarded those who follow the “lone shipping driver” angle by paying $24.20 with Getaway. Even George’s current lofty .365 won’t trump Anthony’s 1.000.)
A final note: the last card of the season at Philly has one remarkable recent “past performance line.” In 2021 one driver won ten races on the last program of the year, tying the track record established in 2009 (and equaled by Yannick Gingras this year). The ten-bagger was completed when an 11-1 shot overhauled a 1-5 shot in the stretch; the hot-handed driver was Tim Tetrick, who caught a favorite driven by George Napolitano Jr. – whose ten-win local record Tetrick tied! Nothing is for sure at Philly when these two are in play – they’ve won seventeen of the eighteen win titles in the track’s history and fourteen of the eighteen UDR crowns.
The racing will begin at Philly on Tuesday at the special post of 4 p.m.; free program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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