Chester, PA – For his entire day’s work at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (June 21), driver Todd McCarthy had to face only three equine opponents – and he got the job done in the cameo performance, guiding the Sweet Lou colt Toast Of The Town to a new lifetime mark of 1:51 in the $13,500 handicap pacing feature for developing horses, scratched down to a field of four.
With the 1-5 winner in post 1 and the 8-5 second choice (Moneyhill GB) in post 2, it wasn’t hard to envision a lineup. And McCarthy guided the sophomore right to the point with fractions of :28.1 and :57, then turned on the afterburners to a 1:24 three quarters. To his credit, Moneyhill GB stayed right with the winner, but another :27 quarter home saw the pocketsitter fall a neck shy of the winner, trained by Noel Daley for Let It Ride Stables Inc., Morrison Racing Stables, Jesmeral Stable, and Alberg Racing.
In a $12,000 pace for horses one rung below the feature horses, the Sweet Lou gelding Ghetto Loupastar won his second straight (and perhaps earn a bumpup to the higher level) while controlling the pace en route to a 1:52.3 victory. Scandalous Rumor rode the pocket to be second, a half length behind the in-control winner, with Stay Fresh just another neck off. Tim Tetrick guided the sophomore to the win for trainer Ron Burke and the familiar partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC along with Phil Collura.
The Bettor’s Wish gelding Wish You Well continued his comeback with a second triumph in succession, making every pole a winning one in the $13,000 handicap for fast-class sidewheelers in 1:49.4. Captain Crusader A closed off cover for second while photoing out first-out Back Pocket Miki, that pair 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner. Corey Callahan had the steer with the career winner of $531,795 for trainer Linda Toscano and Kovach Stables LLC.
Polesitter Big Bang Bang put up a “picket fence line” – all “1”s across – while equaling his mark of 1:50.1 in the $11,500 subfeature fast class pace. Perfect Wager came up a neck short of being a pocket rocket as Big Bang Bang got the job done for driver Simon Allard, trainer Darren Taneyhill, and owner Carmen Iannacone.
Tim Tetrick and Simon Allard, 1-2 in the driving win standings locally, were the only professional sulkysmiths to post two wins on the card. There was a driving triple, however – by amateur driver Yogi Sheridan, who captured three AHDC races, training one winner and handling the other two for trainer Izzy Estrada.
The pari-mutuel racing at Harrah’s resumes on “Trottin’ Thursday” (June 23) with a 12:25 p.m. card; Ari Ferrari J, winner in the $16,000 fast-class feature last week, has been assigned to the far outside in the field of six. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.