Chester, PA – The Greenshoe gelding Greenma, second by a nose to divisional leader Emoticon Legacy in his Hambletonian elimination, found the company in the $13,500 featured trot for “nw 5 races” much more to his liking on Friday (Oct. 10) at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, as he won as trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer pleased in 1:54.4.
Smedshammer kept the sophomore steady into the first turn then sent him up quickly, gaining the lead and putting up early numbers of :29.1 and :58.2. The competition began to melt one by one as Greenma went to the three-quarters in 1:26.3, and as he cut the corner for home he had a 3-1/2 length lead which remained intact to the wire. Greenma has five wins and five seconds in fifteen seasonal starts with earnings of $140,406 for Purple Haze Stable LLC.
The $13,000 trot for fast-class performers saw the Walner 3-year-old filly Walspea, second in the Hambletonian Oaks, exceed the specifications of the developmental trot and thus have to race against more seasoned performers. And she defeated them, too, in 1:53.4, giving Trond Smedshammer and Purple Haze a feature double (this one is co-owned by M3 Racing Stable).
Mr Bluebird, in search of his fifth straight win, flew to the early lead, made the quarter in :27.3 then backed the half off to :57.1. Favored Usain Hanover made a big move in early backstretch but then jumped it off, giving Smedshammer a chance to move his filly outside before the 1:25.4 third pole. Though Mr Bluebird held strongly in the :28 last quarter, Walspea earned a 1-1/2 length decision to raise her lifetime earnings to $275,852.
There were three $12,000 races for the “nw 3 races” class, two on the trot and one for pacing fillies. In the faster of the trots, the freshman Tactical Landing – Amber Ella colt Southwind Alamo took on older foes and made it look easy, grinding to the lead and then drawing off to a clear 1:56 victory. Johnathan Ahle had the sulky duty for trainer Ron Coyne Jr. and the ownership of Coyne and Pachuta Stable, Blair Corbeil, Richard Carney, and Mike McAllister.
In the other division of the subfeature trot for developing horses, the Bar Hopping sophomore filly Demarara Hanover kept grinding uncovered, made the lead in the stretch, then held off the late-charging Berry Good News to win by a half-length in 1:59. Corey Callahan was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC, Knox Services Inc., FAC Racing LLC, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.
In the section of this class for pacing distaffs, another 2-year-old proved victorious: JK Fierce Lady, a daughter of Captaintreacherous – JK First Lady (who’s a daughter of Horse of the Year JK Shesalady). Her pedigree came through in her race, in which she was put on the lead just past the quarter by George Napolitano Jr. and had more than enough to keep pocketsitting Make It Right a length at bay under the wire in 1:54.4. JK Fierce Lady is trained by Nancy Takter for 3 Brothers Stable.
Corey Callahan took sulky honors on the day with three successful steers; two-time driving winners were Tony Morgan, Trond Smedshammer, and Åke Svanstedt. The two Scandinavians both sent out a pair of winners from their barns.
Harrah’s Philadelphia will be back racing on Sunday (Oct. 12) at 12:40 p.m., It will race live on a Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. schedule next week, and then Thursday at 12:25 p.m. will be readded to the mix. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.