Chester, PA — Lucas Wallin trainee Ab’sattitudexpress gave a game effort to win Thursday’s (Aug. 12) $16,200 handicap trotting feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:52.3.

There was action aplenty throughout the race: Big Oil left to claim the early lead before the :27 quarter. He gave over command to the 7-5 favorite Scirocco Rob at the three-eighths after that one had not yet seen the inside, and Scirocco Rob, in turn, was soon challenged by the 9-5 second choice Ab’sattitudexpress, who took over before the :55.3 half. Big Oil came back out first-over and challenged the Trixon mare from the five-eighths, past the 1:23.3 three-quarters and all the way to the finish, but Ab’sattitudexpress, under encouragement from driver Marcus Miller, prevailed by a neck over Big Oil. Second-over Swansea rallied well for third, a neck behind Big Oil and three-quarters of a length ahead of Scirocco Rob in fourth.

Ab’sattitudexpress is four-for-nine this year and 11-for-26 lifetime for Stop The Jade Farm LLC.

Corey Callahan handled the winners of both $14,400 co-featured events. In the first, a stretch battle between Royson’s Punch, coming up the inside, and the closing favorite AP Hall Of Trix was settled when the chalk went off stride in mid-stretch, leaving Royson’s Punch four lengths clear of the speedy pacesetter at the end of a 1:54.4 mile. The time was a new mark for the Chapter Seven sophomore colt, whom Linda Toscano trains for the ownership of R-And-I Farms LLC and Camelot Stable Inc.

In the other, Callahan, who wound up with four winners on the card, moved the Bar Hopping gelding Robbie Pev first-over at the half, with the sophomore grinding to the lead nearing the stretch and then withstanding the second-over favorite Magic Cape by a head in 1:55.2. Jill Roland conditions the winner for owner Bernard O’Brien.

Trotters will again top the card at Harrah’s on Friday (Aug. 13), with younger horses on the way up gathering in race five to go for $12,600. There will also be an $11,200 pace for the fast-class set in race eight. Program pages for the 12:25 p.m. card are available at the PHHA website.