Chester, PA — They were three across the track at the finish of the $13,500 conditioned trot for developing horses on Thursday (Nov. 20) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the 3-year-old Greenshoe gelding Hey Porter taking advantage of the perfect trip to catch determined pacesetter Moni Buys Happynes by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:55.
Tim Tetrick, who drove four winners on the card, got Hey Porter away in the pocket behind the filly Moni Buys Happynes, who laid down fractions of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26.3. By the third station, Clear For Landing, who had won four of his last six, advanced uncovered to challenge. The leader withstood the outside pressure, but Hey Porter still had a relatively full tank to her inside, and he prevailed by a neck, with Clear For Landing only another half length back.
After eight top-three finishes to his credit while racing Pennsylvania and Midwest stakes company, Hey Porter scored his first win of 2025 for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.
There were also two $12,000 trots for horses just below the feature level. The quicker split went to the 3-year-old Googoo Gaagaa gelding Yardbird, who has now won two of three recent races since adding trotting hopples not long ago. He ground uncovered from the midpoint of the backstretch and worked by pacesetting DW’s Lady Diva by a length in 1:59. Patrick Ryder drove the winner of four of his last eight starts for trainer Jim Groff, who also shares ownership with Jeff Dorn.
The other division went to the sophomore Cantab Hall colt Hatfield, winning his second start for owner P T Stable and trainer Bob Belcher. Hatfield was sent to the lead by George Napolitano Jr. and held his advantage throughout in 1:59.1, with favored Entertain Me again having just a little too far to come and being 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner but winning a three-horse picture for place.
In the $11,000 trot for fast-class horses, Benjamin Hanover, the heavy favorite, set fractions of :28.3, :56.2 and 1:25, then went on to ward off a sturdy stretch bid by 39-1 shot Scudo Hanover by a neck in 1:53. Tetrick drove Benjamin Hanover, an altered son of Sebastian K S trained by Scott DiDomenico for owner Angela Cornell.
Harrah’s races Friday (Nov. 21) at 12:25 p.m., with the third and final preliminary of the popular series for $10,000 pacers going in five $8,000 divisions. There will be Sunday (Nov. 23) racing at 12:40 p.m., and then Philly will be dark on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, being back in action on Sunday, Nov. 30 – and featuring the $12,500 final of the series for claimers.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.