Chester, PA — The Muscle Hill gelding Te Amo Lindy, close without winning in recent competition at Pocono Downs, certainly brought his A-game with him down the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday (Dec. 4), trotting to a 1:54.2 victory on a chilly day in the $13,500 feature for improving horses.
Te Amo Lindy, off the 4-5 second choice, was three-wide early then two-wide to get by 3-5 favorite The Brodster to a :27.2 quarter. After a :57.2 half, the leader went into a higher gear, but The Brodster pulled the pocket before the 1:25.4 three-quarters and got up to even terms with the pacesetter. In the stretch, though, Te Amo Lindy trotted right on, winning by nearly five lengths for owner/trainer Jill Roland.
Meet leader Tim Tetrick arrived mid-card for five drives, winning three of them, including with the Sebastian K S gelding Benjamin Hanover in 1:55.1 in the $13,000 fast-class handicap trot. Tetrick and Benjamin Hanover were content to sit in the pocket as Super Duper Cooper set the pace, then challenged and got the decision by 1-1/2 lengths for his third straight victory, his ninth win in 18 seasonal starts, and his 28th triumph in 50 lifetime outings. Scott DiDomenico, who also clicked with Tetrick for two other victories on the card, conditions the gritty trotter for owner Angela Cornell.
The Father Patrick gelding Menotti had had good success hitting the board in his career: he had been third or better in 31 of 69 starts going into one of two $12,000 trots for non-winners of three races, but he had only won once. Menotti sat in the two-hole behind favorite Tracks Of My Tears then trotted to the fore for a 1:57.4 tally despite a class hike, winning by 2-1/4 lengths. George Napolitano Jr., who also won three times on the day, guided the winner for owner/trainer Bruce Schadel.
In the other division of the sub-feature for oncoming trotters, the sophomore Swan In A Million filly Melissa P was quarter-moved by trainer/driver Vinny Ginsburg, who then let her trot off up the backstretch and around the turn. It’s a good thing the winner opened such a huge margin, because Yardbird, away slowly, was making up ground with every stride the last five-sixteenths, but Melissa P, owned by Jaypaul Hanover, had enough to prevail by 1-1/4 lengths, following up on a lifetime best 1:57 in New Jersey in her last start with a 1:58.2 triumph.
Racing at Harrah’s Philly resumes on Friday (Dec. 5) at 12:40 p.m., with a $12,000 feature trot for developing diagonally-gaited horses complemented by an $11,000 fast-class handicap pace for the distaff set. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.