Philadelphia, PA — Jive Dancing A showed herself to be the real thing as she shipped into Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (Oct. 18), winning the $17,000 featured pace for distaffs in 1:52.1, her fastest clocking in a win on North American shores.

George Napolitano Jr., whose four wins on the day topped the driving colony, scooted right to the lead with the daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven, then yielded after the :27 quarter to the brush of favored Odds On St. Lucie (Dexter Dunn), who led the field through middle fractions of :55.2 and 1:23.1. But the chalk did not have much left for the stretch, and Jive Dancing A proved strong as a pocket rocket, winning by two lengths over St Somewhere (Anthony Morgan), who followed the winner throughout, including the inside path in the stretch.

Jive Dancing A has now won two straight races since coming under the care of trainer Michael Hall. She is owned by Blindswitch Racing Stable.

There were a pair of $16,000 events, one for pacing distaffs and one for trotters. In the trot, the Swan For All gelding Always A Dream (Pat Berry) rallied three-wide on the final turn, not always the best avenue to victory at Philly, and rolled on strongly to a two-length victory over Bella Ava (Napolitano Jr.) in 1:57.2. Pat Berry drove the winner, in his first campaign at the races at age four, for trainer Scott Di Domenico and the partnership of Foulk Stables Inc. and Triple D Stables Inc.

In the contest for female pacers, the Captaintreacherous sophomore Catch A Secret (Victor Kirby) emulated the good form of her distaff stablemates in the Jim King Jr. stable, with a victory in a lifetime best of 1:53.3. Victor Kirby reserved her in midpack until the backstretch, and then she made one big move to go right by entering the far turn, winning by 4-1/4 lengths for her fourth win in her last five starts for the ownership of Ben Mudry, Brad Maxwell, Dr. Fred Kruszelnicki, and Kenneth Frieder.

A $14,500 pace for fast-class mares went to the Art Major mare Tell Me A Joke (Morgan), who sent her earnings to $150,601 with a five-length victory in 1:52.3. Tony Morgan brushed with the winner of three straight off the first turn and was never in doubt once in front for trainer Chris Temming and T R Stables.