Chester, PA – Charles Oliveira, the UFC lightweight division star, won his first pari-mutuel race in North America on Sunday (May 10) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, guiding Ben Solo to a front-end victory in 1:51.2, just a tick off the pacer’s lifetime mark despite coming off of a scratch.
Oliveria, who got his nickname “Do Bronxs” because in the favelas (hardscrabble neighborhoods outside a main city) of his native Sao Paulo, Brazil, toughness is identified as a needed trait in both areas. Oliveira came off a victory at Yonkers Raceway, which is separated by “Do Bronxs” only by the Bronx River, in an exhibition race Friday night, then came to the City of Brotherly Love on Mother’s Day and high-lined Ben Solo to a length victory over Komodo Beach. Family, friends, and a good portion of the Philly paddock came out to greet the personable Oliveira after his victory.
Records among the local drivers’ colony were also the order of the day at the Harrah’s facility. On September 27, 2009, there were three dead-heats to win on the card, giving Corey Callahan and Daniel Dube the distinction of joining the rare “Two DH1s On One Card Club,” including perforce tying one another in one contest. On Sunday, there were two races inseparable for the win position, and Johnathan Ahle guided Ramblin Reck, the longest shot on the board, and Benhope Rulz N in those two contests, also notching a pair of “DH1”s on one card.
Echoes of the 2009 card resounded over 16 years later: driver Andy Miller, who dead-heated with Callahan on the first occasion, tied with Ahle on Sunday; George Napolitano Jr., who dead-heated with Dube earlier, also had success on the card (read further); and Corey Callahan (whose win dead-heats came in consecutive races in 2009) drove in both of the Sunday dead-heats, and won two other races. For the record, Bradley Chisholm drove the other horse in the other dead-heat to win Sunday.
There were two feature events from a Standardbred standpoint. The $13,500 pace for up-and-coming pacers saw the Lather Up colt Up In Place give his second outstanding performance in as many 2026 starts, on Sunday equaling his mark of 1:51.2 despite occasional showers. Simon Allard was involved with his sophomore in a :27.1 opener, then was content to sit in the two-hole during midsplits of :55.4 and 1:23.4 before pulling out and going by Justlikethat en route to a five-length score for trainer Tony Alagna and owners John Barnard and Alagna Racing LLC.
In the $13,000 pace for fast-class horses, Papis Pistol, a son of Papi Rob Hanover who won in 1:47.4 last year at three, got into this race under the AE nw 10 races condition and made his 2026 bow a successful one in 1:50.4. George Napolitano Jr. regained control after the :26.4 opener, setting splits of :55.1 and 1:22.4 and then withstanding a spirited stretch bid by Panettone Hanover, sixth at the half, by a neck for trainer Sam De Pinto and owners Shannon De Pinto, Chris Arvanitis, Brad Shackman, and Robert Horowitz.
Joseph Columbo was the sole trainer to post two wins here Sunday; the drivers side had five sulkysitters with two-baggers: Johnathan Ahle from the dead-heats, Simon Allard, Corey Callahan, Mark Herschberger, and George Napolitano Jr.
Racing resumes at Philly on Thursday (May 14) at 12:25 p.m., with the usual assortment of high-class “Trottin’ Thursday” horses. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.