Chester, PA – Car Keys was on cruise control in the $14,000 featured 0pace for filllies and mares at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday (Aug. 28) afternoon, rating the pace then sprinting home to be an easy winner in 1:52.3.
Driver Patrick Ryder got the favored Always B Miki sophomore around second choice Daisy Diana N while paying only a :27.3 price, then got a big breather to the :57.3 half. From there Ryder just put the pedal to the metal and Car Keys accelerated, getting to the three quarters in 1:25.3 and then throwing a :27 quarter at her foes coming home. The Kiwi mare in the pocket kept the winner honest and was beaten only three parts of a length, but the victorious Chris Ryder trainee, who showed Sangria Summer and Darlin’s Angel as the winner of her two previous starts, remained in control for owners Margaret Dey and Matthew Stolte.
There were three $12,000 events for horses at the “nw 3 races” level of competition. One was for distaff pacers, taken by the Captaintreacherous three-year-old filly Luckylady Hanover in 1:52.3 for trainer Stacy Chiodo and Timothy Tobias Stable LLC. Driver Trae Porter took full advantage of a rail draw and went away fast enough to cause a “post position lineup,” after which his filly controlled the tempo and threw successive back quarters of :28 en route to the easy 1¼ length triumph over two-holer Always B Our Star.
In the event for pacing males, the Captain Crunch gelding Captain Flirt posted a second straight victory, but that 1:53 tally, while a mark, was nowhere near as easy as his 10 ¼ length verdict in his previous start. Mark Herschberger got the pacer underway first-over at the half, and the Deborah Daguet trainee paced his own last half in :55.4 to hold off second-over Mick Steamy by a neck for owner John Darrah.
The trotting contest saw the Captain Corey sophomore gelding Captain Code come with a rush in front of the stands to take over command, then powered off to victory in 1:55. Brad Chisholm guided the three-year-old to the win for trainer Joe Bongiorno, who moved into a tie for the lead in the Philly training standings, and El Dorado Stables as he won his second race in three starts for these connections.
Driving doubles were rung up by Brad Chisholm, Mark Herschberger, Patrick Ryder, and Corey Callahan, the last-named guided the winners of the only trainer to have more than one win, Jamie Sullivan.
Sunday’s 12:40 card at Philly will feature the fourth and final preliminary leg of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for three-year-old trotting males, with these wide-open groups looking to clinch places in their rich Championship races over the Labor Day Monday weekend (the sophomore Sire Stakes horses will race right here at Philly for a combined $1.4 within their four groupings by gait and sex on Sunday, September 6). Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.