Chester, PA — The Big Jim gelding Tiger Thompson N roared to the fastest mile of the young season at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (April 19), fronting a good field at every call to win the $18,000 pacing feature in 1:50.1.

Dexter Dunn got the strong Kiwi-bred to the lead before a :26.1 quarter despite the outside post seven, then got a breather to the half in :56. There was no catching Tiger Thompson N after that, as he streaked home in :54.1–:26.4 to be 2-3/4 lengths clear of pocket sitter and countrymate Crockets Cullen N for his second straight win.

Joshua Parker trains the winner and he shares ownership with Nanticoke Racing Inc., Stephen Messick, and Prestige Stable.

The top pacing mares event on the card, a $14,500 contest, also fell to Team Dunn/Parker, as Better Decision N followed the example of her stablemate and set sail on the lead, winning for the fifth time in her last eight starts, here in 1:53. A daughter of Bettor’s Delight, Better Decision N blitzed home in :55.4 for trainer/co-owner Parker, Nanticoke Racing, and Donna Messick.

And while they were at it, trainer/owner Parker, driver Dunn, Nanticoke, and Prestige thought they might as well take the other $14,500 high-level conditioned pace, with the pocket sitting Live Or Die gelding Robbie Burns N having his plans to catch pace setting Great Vintage not go awry by a neck in 1:52.1. Barry Spedden is also co-owner of this winner.

The $16,000 top trot saw Spee Club force wholesale tucks with an alert start from the rail, then continue on until crossing the wire in 1:56, tying his personal best. The son of Cantab Hall was driven to his second straight victory by Art Stafford Jr. for trainer D. Erin Neilson, co-owner with David Neilson.

While it doesn’t quite yet have the Saturday night appeal of its counterpart 100 miles up the Northeast Pennsylvania Turnpike Extension, the Philly claiming box got a lot of use today. Because of Sunday being dark for Easter, more claiming events than usual (five) were put on the card, with every selling race seeing at least one horse change hands, and a total of eight claims totaling up to $109,000.