Chester, PA — Joe Bongiorno had an excellent day of competition at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday (Oct. 22) – with a couple of unusual statistical quirks during it.
When the draw came out, Bongiorno was listed to drive on no horses. But the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, wasn’t going to be at Philly Thursday, so Joe picked up several good catch-drives, including two horses from his own barn that he had listed Tetrick on but wound up steering himself.
And those two horses were victorious, lifting Bongiorno’s local tally for training wins this season to 40. No other trainer at Philly has more.
Bongiorno also did well with those other catch-drives, visiting Victory Lane three times with them to give him five driving wins in total for the day.
But here’s the ironic part: The three winners Bongiorno catch-drove were all for trainer Scott DiDomenico, who thus raised his 2026 Philly total to 40, now sharing the lead with the horseman who piloted his trio of success stories!
Counting among Team Bongiorno/DiDomenico’s victories were the winners of the top two overnight handicaps for trotters. In the $16,000 headliner, Benjamin Hanover won for the second straight week, here in 1:52.4, 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Full Of Muscles. All five of Bongiorno’s winners were on the lead before the half, and Benjamin Hanover owned by Angela Cornell, grabbed command soon after the :27.2 quarter and went out to middle splits of :55.4 and 1:24.2 en route to his triumph, which bumped his lifetime tally to 38 wins in 80 starts and earnings of $410,473.
In the $11,000 fast-class secondary feature, the Tactical Landing gelding Djimon matched Benjamin Hanover’s clocking in triumphing by 2-1/2 lengths over Sensational. Djimon was one of the two horses who made Bongiorno a driver/trainer winner; he is owned by El Dorado Stables.
There were also two features for developing trotters. Trillion Times, also a son of Tactical Landing, won that group’s $13,500 top-level event by 3 lengths over Bricco, also using speedy tactics in the 1:54.1 mile. Simon Allard drove the sophomore colt for trainer Petter Engblom and the partnership of Engblom Farm LLC and Kristen Bartlett.
The front end also proved the path to victory for the 3-year-old Bar Hopping gelding Swan Wayne, one of the best in his section at the end of the Pennsylvania fair season. Here Swan Wayne lowered his mark a tick to 1:57.1 for his co-owners, driver Wayne Long and trainer Joyce Lineweaver.
Aside from the feats of Bongiorno and DiDomenico mentioned above, trainer Joyce Lineweaver and drivers Mark Herschberger and Simon Allard had doubles; Allard has narrowed Tetrick’s leading in the driving dash category to 113-109.
Up-and-coming distaff pacers will be in the spotlight during Friday (Oct. 23) 12:25 p.m. card at Philly; there will also be a carryover into the Pick-5 (races 5-9). Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.