By: Jerry Connors, Jr.
CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill gelding Te Amo Lindy, close without winning in recent competition at Pocono Downs, certainly brought his “A” game with him down the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday, trotting to a 1:54.2 victory on a chilly day in the $13,500 feature for improving horses.
Te Amo Lindy was three-wide early then two-wide to get by The Brodster to a :27.2 quarter (these two were the heavy favorites: Te Amo Lindy 9-10, The Brodster 3-5). After a :57.2 half, the leader went into a higher gear, but The Brodster pulled the pocket before the 1:25.4 three-quarters and got up to even terms with the pacesetter. In the stretch, though, it was Te Amo Lindy who trotted right on, winning by nearly five lengths for trainer Jill Roland, who also owns the speedy diamondgaiter.
Meet leader Tim Tetrick arrived midcard for five drives, winning three of them, including with the Sebastian K S gelding Benjamin Hanover in 1:55.1 in the $13,000 fast-class handicap on the “Trottin’ Thursday” program. Tetrick and “Benjamin” were content to sit in the pocket as Super Duper Cooper set the pace, then challenged and got the decision by 1½ lengths for his third straight victory, his ninth win in eighteen seasonal starts, and his 28th triumph in 50 lifetime outings. Scott Di Domenico, who also clicked with Tetrick for an earlier victory and would later add a third victory in the card, conditions the gritty trotter for owner Angela Cornell.
The Father Patrick gelding Menotti had had good success hitting the board in his career –he had been 1-2-3 in 31 of 69 starts going into one of two $12,000 trots for “nw 3 races “company. But he had only won once, and to boot upon coming from Pocono he had to elevate from “nw2” to “nw3” company as Philly does not write that class. But Menotti sat in the two-hole behind favorite Tracks Of My Tears, then trotted to the fore for a 1:57.4 tally despite the class hike, winning by 2¼ lengths. George Napolitano Jr., who also won three times on the day, guided the winner for trainer-owner Bruce Schadel.
In the other division of the subfeature for oncoming trotters, the Swan In A Million sophomore filly Melissa P was quarter-moved by driver-trainer Vinnie Ginsburg, who then let her trot off down in the backstretch and around the turn. It’s a good thing the winner opened such a huge margin, because Yardbird, away slowly, was making up ground with every stride the last five-sixteenths (own back half in :58.2), but Melissa P, owned by Jaypaul Hanover, had enough to prevail by 1¼ lengths, following up on a lifetime best 1:57 in New Jersey in her last start with a 1:58.2 triumph here.
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philly on Friday at 12:40, with a $12,000 feature trot for developing diagonally-gaited horses complemented by an $11,000 fast-class handicap pace for the distaff set. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill gelding Te Amo Lindy, close without winning in recent competition at Pocono Downs, certainly brought his “A” game with him down the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday, trotting to a 1:54.2 victory on a chilly day in the $13,500 feature for improving horses.
Te Amo Lindy was three-wide early then two-wide to get by The Brodster to a :27.2 quarter (these two were the heavy favorites: Te Amo Lindy 9-10, The Brodster 3-5). After a :57.2 half, the leader went into a higher gear, but The Brodster pulled the pocket before the 1:25.4 three-quarters and got up to even terms with the pacesetter. In the stretch, though, it was Te Amo Lindy who trotted right on, winning by nearly five lengths for trainer Jill Roland, who also owns the speedy diamondgaiter.
Meet leader Tim Tetrick arrived midcard for five drives, winning three of them, including with the Sebastian K S gelding Benjamin Hanover in 1:55.1 in the $13,000 fast-class handicap on the “Trottin’ Thursday” program. Tetrick and “Benjamin” were content to sit in the pocket as Super Duper Cooper set the pace, then challenged and got the decision by 1½ lengths for his third straight victory, his ninth win in eighteen seasonal starts, and his 28th triumph in 50 lifetime outings. Scott Di Domenico, who also clicked with Tetrick for an earlier victory and would later add a third victory in the card, conditions the gritty trotter for owner Angela Cornell.
The Father Patrick gelding Menotti had had good success hitting the board in his career –he had been 1-2-3 in 31 of 69 starts going into one of two $12,000 trots for “nw 3 races “company. But he had only won once, and to boot upon coming from Pocono he had to elevate from “nw2” to “nw3” company as Philly does not write that class. But Menotti sat in the two-hole behind favorite Tracks Of My Tears, then trotted to the fore for a 1:57.4 tally despite the class hike, winning by 2¼ lengths. George Napolitano Jr., who also won three times on the day, guided the winner for trainer-owner Bruce Schadel.
In the other division of the subfeature for oncoming trotters, the Swan In A Million sophomore filly Melissa P was quarter-moved by driver-trainer Vinnie Ginsburg, who then let her trot off down in the backstretch and around the turn. It’s a good thing the winner opened such a huge margin, because Yardbird, away slowly, was making up ground with every stride the last five-sixteenths (own back half in :58.2), but Melissa P, owned by Jaypaul Hanover, had enough to prevail by 1¼ lengths, following up on a lifetime best 1:57 in New Jersey in her last start with a 1:58.2 triumph here.
Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philly on Friday at 12:40, with a $12,000 feature trot for developing diagonally-gaited horses complemented by an $11,000 fast-class handicap pace for the distaff set. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.
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