Chester, PA – Over $1.5 million in purses was offered at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (Sept. 5), with the bulk of the bounty being distributed in four $300,000 Championships of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-olds. In addition to the big-money finales, there were $50,000 consolations for each division, along with $100,000 in three races for fast-class older performers.
Pacing colt Frantic Hanover and trotting filly Ginger Tree Lex were the stars of the show, adding their rich Championships to a four-race sweep of their preliminaries. Frantic Hanover also set a couple of records, as appear right below.
MALE PACERS
In addition to his prelims/SS Championship sweep, the Stay Hungry – Francessa colt Frantic Hanover paced the fastest mile ever by a freshman on a five-eighth mile track, 1:49.1, knocking a tick off the mark set by his colt stablemate Al Papi two weeks ago at The Meadows and by the gelding One More Laugh here at Philly sixteen years ago. And he pushed his winnings in his five PaSS starts to $288,564 – the most-ever by any Sire Stakes competitor in one campaign, eclipsing the $286,918 earned by 2PF Pure Country in 2015.
Frantic Hanover watched from fourth as Al Papi blasted away from post eight to grab command before the :26.1 quarter, then immediately started a brush to the top that landed him on the engine by the three-eighths before a :54.3 half. Outside challengers didn’t make much headway to and past the 1:22 three quarters, and Frantic Hanover came home in 27.1 (his slowest last quarter in an undefeated career, including qualifiers) to hold off the looming Al Papi by 1-3/4 lengths, with Melillo completing a 1-2-3 sweep for the Burke Brigade by getting the show dough off a second-over trip.
Frantic Hanover’s total earnings, including a PA All-Stars win in his only non-PaSS start, is $303,564 for Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Brad Grant, and Knox Services Inc.
The consolation went to the Captaintreacherous – Square Dancer colt Signal Caller, who brushed to the lead going to the three quarters (while pacing her own third quarter in 26.1) and then drew clear in a 1:53.1 win. Andrew McCarthy drove for trainer Noel Daley and the partnership of Patricia Stable, Kovach Stables LLC, Sjoblom Racing Inc., and L A Express Stable LLC.
FEMALES
The Papi Rob Hanover – One Last Kiss filly Say Goodnight was not in prime position (fifth-in) at the half, but she kept feeding up the inside and was most photogenic in a five-across finish to win her Sire Stakes Championship in 1:52.1 – and paying $135.60, second-highest win payoff of the local season.
Big Weekend, 30-1 herself, went right to the top and put down fractions of :26, :56.1, and 1:23.2. Horses moved to the outside, including favored first-up Loua Dipa, from mid-backstretch, and some reserved their bids for a stretch charge along the inside. The most effective of these belonged to Say Goodnight, a half length ahead of I’m A Loulou, with Imagine Heaven, Big Weekend, and Loua Dipa getting the final checks in order and all within 1-1/2 lengths at the wire. Say Goodnight did not win a Sire Stakes prelim, but she got the job done with the big money on the line for driver Andrew McCarthy, who won the other filly Championship with Ginger Tree Lex (to follow) trainer Nicholas Devita and owners David Hamm and Glenn Phillips.
In the consolation, a series of early lead changes saw the Captaintreacherous – Book Babe filly Gonebutnotforgottn make the front by the half, and she was kept alive late by driver Tim Tetrick to hold off an inside surge by Tall Dark Tequila by a neck in 1:52.2, a new mark. Anette Lorentzon is the trainer and owner of Gonebutnotforgottn.
FEMALE TROTTERS
Ginger Tree Lex, a daughter of Bar Hopping – Perfect Champ, cost only $18,000 as a Harrisburg yearling, but she earned $248,460 for the ownership of Sam Beegle, Ginger Tree Ventures LLC (Carl Vizzi), Knollview Stable 2 (Dr. Boyd Henderson, Neil Chesen, and Darryl Breniser), and Robert Reber Jr. by delivering a clean sweep of her four prelims and then the Championship of her Sire Stakes 2-year-old trotting filly ranks.
Andrew McCarthy, driving the seven-time winner (all in stakes) for trainer Steve Cook, let others argue through a :27.4 quarter, then moved to the lead in front of the stands and posted midrace splits of :57.1 and 1:25.1. Through the stretch Ginger Tree Lex stayed on strong with a minimum of encouragement, with Maya Patel Hanover 1-1/4 lengths in arrears at the wire. The 1:53.4 final time was a Sire Stakes divisional record, and it equaled the Philly track record for the group first achieved by Country Victory last year.
The “Bedford Boys” swept in this category, as the Fordham Road – A Little Laid Back filly Little Road launched a big rally from off stagnant cover to equal her lifetime mark of 1:56 for owner/trainer/Bedfordian Roger Hammer (as is Ginger Tree Lex’s Sam Beegle) and driver Brady Brown in the consolation. Little Road now has won overnights, a Fair Sire Stakes, a Stallion Series race, a pari-mutuel Sire Stake in her only start at this level (she was first AE for the big race), and now a Sire Stakes consolation.
MALES
Dublin Hanover kept his calm when many of those around him (four) lost theirs, as he posted a 12-1 upset in his Championship event for trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt and his Åke Svanstedt Inc., partners in the son of Captain Corey – Dab Hanover with Tomas Andersson and Lennart Johnasson.
Svanstedt got forward position early after Minoan grabbed the early lead, then stayed along the rail through fractions of :27.2, :56.2, and 1:24.2 as Oversear made a midrace brush to the lead past Minoan. The early leader tried to come back for more in the stretch, with Svanstedt swinging wide and going past both him and the pacesetter to win by four lengths over Oversear. Dublin Hanover, who had captured a Sire Stake prelim, finished the mile in 1:54.2, a new mark and only a fifth off the track record for his group set by Father TJ last season. (The winner’s sire holds the stake mark of 1:53.3.)
The freshman colt Nebbiolo, a Captain Corey – Agro Dolce piebald (unpigmented [white] spots on a pigmented background) picked a good time to show his true colors and break his maiden, winning the consolation in 1:55.3. Tim Tetrick took him to command in the vicinity of the quarter and kept control from there for trainer Åke Svanstedt, giving him a sweep of the baby trotting colt races, and Knutsson Trotting Inc.
INVITATIONAL / OPEN EVENTS
The $50,000 SendItIn Invitational pace went in wire-to-wire fashion to the Somebeachsomewhere gelding Spring Inhisstep A in 1:49.4. Tim Tetrick took full advantage of track geometry from the rail and put everybody in behind, then set fractions of :26.3, :54.4, and 1:22 before holding off a determined first-over bid by Tip Top Cat to win three parts of a length for trainer Jeff Cullipher and owner Pollack Racing LLC.
The Father Patrick gelding Antognoni S trotted to his eleventh victory of 2025, winning the $25,000 Open trot to start the card in 1:51.4. Yannick Gingras kept the powerful trotter in third as Little Expensive went past Ultion Face S early and set fractions of:26.4, :56.2, and 1:23.2, then moved outside to challenge, and through the lane Antognoni S was in control as he defeated Ultion Face S by a length, with Little Expensive third. Ron Burke conditions the winner for the driver, Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and FAC Racing LLC.
The $691,454 winner Rocket Deo was kept outside most of the first three-eighths in the $25,000 Open distaff pace before taking command, but once she was on the engine (:26.4, :56.1, 1:23.2) there was not much questioning of her superiority, as she won by 2-1/4 lengths over first-over Take Your Pick in 1:51.2. Andrew McCarthy sulkysat behind the daughter of Captaintreacherous for trainer Brett Pelling and the ownership of Morrison Racing Stables and John Fielding.
Tim Tetrick, the track’s leading driver, had five victories on the big Sire Stakes Championship card at Philly Friday, and Andrew McCarthy had four. There will be a carryover of $3240.97 into the first race Superfecta pool Sunday (Sept. 7).