Chester, PA — The Yankee Glide gelding Max was very strong on the front end in winning the $18,000 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday (Dec. 12), completing a 1:54 victory by coming home in :27.4 in 38-degree temperatures.

Max headed right to the lead in front of Infiniti As under the command of Yannick Gingras, but it looked as if he might have to surrender the lead after the :27.4 quarter to the brushing Rubber Duck, the classy veteran who was seeking his fourth straight triumph. However, Infiniti As made a break before the finish line the first time, allowing Rubber Duck to take the pocket behind Max as he went on to splits of :57.1 and 1:26.1, towards the latter call coming under pressure from the mare Kenziesky Hanover.

Kenziesky Hanover and Max went at it head-to-head through the stretch, with Rubber Duck making it a competing threesome up the inside, but Max proved the best over Kenziesky Hanover by three-quarters of a length in the brisk finisher, with Rubber Duck another neck back in third. Ron Burke trains the winner, who went over six figures in 2019 earnings with the victory, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Frank Baldachino.

P L Ketchup posted hot fractions in the $17,000 co-featured trot, but he could not hold off the late kick of the Yankee Glide sophomore gelding Yankee Beast, who won his second straight by 2-1/4 lengths while posting a new lifetime best of 1:55.4. Marcus Miller drove the fast-closing 3-year-old for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owner Anna Kristina Lorentzon.

Driver George Napolitano Jr. had three winners on the afternoon, as did trainer Christie Collins.

Also, driver Pat Berry scored career victory 3,999 when he won with Sortie Hanover.