Chester, PA — Lazurus (the trotter, not the imported pacer) went wire-to-wire in the $12,500 trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Wednesday (May 8), taking advantage of misfortune suffered by favored Tony Soprano to win in 1:55.3.

Tim Tetrick, second in the drivers’ standings here (he had five wins on Wednesday) and in North America, guided the Credit Winner gelding to the lead before the :28.2 quarter. He was then able to regulate the tempo to :57.4 and 1:26.3, with horses occupying but not gaining in the two- and three-wide tiers, before sprinting clear at headstretch to stretch his lifetime bankroll to $303,656 for trainer Scott DiDomenico and the ownership of Mr. Dana Parham and the Triple D Stables Inc.

Meanwhile, Tony Soprano was stuck third-inside behind walls of parked horses and a fading then breaking pocket horse. He finally shook clear early in the stretch and made up ground well, but came up 2-1/4 lengths shy of Lazurus under the wire.

No single ticket solved the Jackpot Hi-5 bet, so the carryover going into Thursday’s card is $20,514.09.

The PA-sired 3-year-old trotting fillies are gathered here Friday for the first time in 2019, with four divisions of Sire Stakes and five sections of Stallion Series action.

The defending Sire Stakes champion Windy Lover and Stallion Series champion Navarone Hanover both meet in the same division, but they will have to face Magical Beliefs, a Lady Suffolk winner in her first start of the year.

Other well-known names include Sonnet Grace and Fraulein Blucher, going head-to-head; Asiago, a recent Meadowlands winner in 1:53.4; and Millie’s Possesion, who won her career debut in 1:56 here.

On Sunday, a full field of nine has been attracted to a $30,000 Great Northeast Open Series event for the open pacers. Headlining will be Donttellmeagain, the last conqueror of 2018 Horse of the Year McWicked; recent 1:50.1 Philly winner Tiger Thompson N; and the evergreen Scott Rocks.