Chester, PA — Thursday (Aug. 20) marked the beginning of another three-card racing week at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the International Moni gelding Arrowhead Hanover giving another strong performance to take the $13,000 feature for older fast-class trotters in 1:53.
Troy Beyer had the winner of $273,436, trained by Daniel Munson for Thestable Arrowheadhanovr, starting quickly and making the lead, yielding near the :27.4 but then regaining command and getting a breather to a :57.2 half. Cheers Hanover started a strong uncovered move before the middle of the backstretch and maintained it past a 1:25.1 three-quarters and all the way to the line, but he came up three parts of a length shy on the money, with millionaire mare and favorite Elista Hanover trotting her own back half in :54.4 but having too much ground to make up and settling for third.
A $12,000 contest for developing trotters saw the sophomore Gimpanzee filly Atomic Blue Chip return from Kentucky and earn a half-length decision over Saint Patrick in 1:56.3, a new mark. Mark Herschberger drove the winner for trainer Annie Stoebe and Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc.
There was also a pair of $12,000 trots for freshmen, one for each sex. The Walner-Beyond Magic filly Chica Bonita had little rest in her mile but still turned back Passion Storm by three-quarters of a length to take a maiden mark of 1:57.3 for driver Troy Beyer, trainer Juan Cano, and owners Nancy Grbelja and Cano Racing Stable LLC, while the Captain Corey-Lenny Mac colt Captain Action went his own back half in :57.4 uncovered to win for the first time in 1:59 for trainer Andrew Harris, who also shares ownership with Ray Lasky and Nathan Cockerham.
Captain Action was also driven by Herschberger, and the 31-year-old pilot, now third in the Philly standings, chopped into second-place Simon Allard’s advantage for the deuce spot behind runaway leader Tim Tetrick by visiting Victory Lane six times. Troy Beyer, in fourth, won three times, with doubles posted by Patrick Ryder and Russell Foster. Scott Brockwell, who trains only horses he owns, had the only conditioning double.
The rest of the week at Philly finds distaffs in the spotlight for Friday’s (Aug. 21) 12:25 p.m. card; on Sunday (Aug. 23) at 12:40 p.m., Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series 2-year-old trotting males line up for their fourth and final preliminaries, trying to earn their way into their rich championships in early September. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.