Chester, PA — Very few horses record their first North American win in 1:51.4. Certainly very few trotters. But most trotters don’t finish second, beaten only two lengths, to Jiggy Jog S in their first race of the current campaign.

All of the above is true of Asteroid, a 6-year-old Creatine ridgling who left the field well in his wake while winning the $15,000 trotting handicap feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon (June 13).

Tim Tetrick, driving for trainer Åke Svanstedt, had Asteroid on top just past the eighth despite starting from the outside post seven, and the pair put up fractions of :27.4, :56.4 and 1:24.2. Eurobond and Stable Genius gained on the outside to get closest to the winner, but a :27.2 last quarter still left them well back at the finish.

Asteroid was winless stateside at 2, then went to Europe to race at 3 and 4, where he won 13 times in 20 races and earned close to six figures each year. He contested some major North American events in 2023 and did well enough to earn $52,392 last season before finally winning for the first time on North American soil for owners Suleyman Yuksel Stables Inc. and Michael Falk.

In the $13,000 fast-class sub-feature trot, the Resolve gelding Resolve To Win pounced from the pocket, coming home in :56 to lower his lifetime mark to 1:52.4 under the guidance of Todd McCarthy. The 4-year-old now has 12 victories in 40 starts for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.

Other winners of note on the program include sub-1:55 trotters Toccoa Falls (1:53.4) and Eloise (1:54.4); fastest pacer of the day Chrchviewcamlot IR (1:50.2); and Beggin For Bacon, who finished second 14 times in 26 career starts before finally breaking maiden in 1:53.1.

Andy McCarthy and Tim Tetrick had driving triples; Ron Coyne Jr. had the only training double.

A $12,000 handicap pace tops the Friday 12:25 p.m. card at Philly; on Sunday, there is a $15,000 fast-class pacing feature where the average mark of the field this year is 1:49.2. Free Harrah’s Philadelphia programs can be found at www.phha.org.