by PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia

Chester, PA — The big card at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday (May 27) included three $30,000 divisions of the Great Northeast Open Series, for horses not racing in the Invitational features. One may wonder how the defending Horse of the Year didn’t get in the Invitational, but there is a simple explanation: trainer Ron Burke already had a Maxie Lee Trot horse in the veteran Crazy Wow, so Hannelore Hanover went in the Great Northeast race for trotters.

Scott Cantor photo

Hannelore Hanover’s 1:52.2 clocking equaled the track record for older trotting mares.

And Hannelore was sharp off a 22-day layoff in her second start of the year, going for the lead for Yannick Gingras, backing off the half to :57 then sprinting home in :55.2 with a last quarter mile in :27.2. Her 1:52.2 final clocking equaled the track record for older trotting mares first established 10 years earlier by Buck I St Pat in winning the inaugural Maxie Lee Trot.

Hannelore Hanover now has 38 lifetime victories in 60 trips behind the gate, with her earnings now at $2,573,677 for the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino, and J&T Silva Stables LLC.

In the Open pace, the Bettor’s Delight gelding Bettor’s Edge was hustled away from the gate by driver Scott Zeron, then yielded to Check Six and sat in the golden chair until headstretch. When Bettor’s Edge was called on in the lane, he muscled right by with minimum urging to win in 1:49.3, raising his career earnings to $2,109,982 for trainer Jennifer Lappe, co-owner of the rugged 9-year-old with Robert Santagata.

L A Delight surmounted the difficult first-over journey to be a drawing-clear winner in the mares Open pace, tripping the timer in 1:50.2 and giving driver Yannick Gingras a pair of Great Northeast victories, both with mares. The daughter of Bettor’s Delight raced her career earnings to $1,391,574 for trainer Nancy Johansson and owners Diamond Creek Racing.

There were two divisions of the $159,440 first preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 3-year-old pacing fillies. In one division, Sidewalk Dancer looked pace-setting favorite Kissin In The Sand, making her seasonal bow, in the eye around the far turn, then paced away late to lower her mark by two seconds to 1:50.3. The daughter of A Rocknroll Dance was guided by Brett Miller for trainer Chris Oakes and the partnership of Northfork Racing Stable, Omar Beiler, and Dennis Collins.

In the other section, the Somebeachsomewhere filly Serene Stride posted her fifth victory in an undefeated 2018 campaign, roaring uncovered down the backstretch to the lead at the three-quarter pole en route to a 3-1/2 length victory while taking a new mark of 1:51.3. Eric Carlson was in the sulky behind the trainee of red-hot Mark Harder, for owners Emilio and Maria Rosetti.

Finally, a world record was set for a five-eighths mile pace on a five-eighths mile track, as the Relentless Yankee gelding Toastmygoats bulleted out of the outside post eight to sit the pocket behind 25-1 polesitter Perseverant’s take-no-prisoners fractions of :25.4 and :53.3, then came out in the lane and overhauled the pacesetter by a neck in 1:07.1 at the sprint distance for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Nick Surick, and the ownership of Engel Stable of IL LLC and J L Benson Stables Inc. The clocking erased the former standard of 1:08 set by Winyard Hanover at Pompano near the end of 2017.