from the PHHA /Harrah’s Philadelphia

Chester, PA — Checkered Past turned the tables on Dr J’s Kiss in the $17,000 featured pace for distaffs Wednesday afternoon (Aug. 22) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, rallying smartly from the pocket to lower her lifetime mark to 1:52.3.

Last week Checkered Past, coming off a 21-day layoff and stuck with the outside post seven, set the pace in this class, but couldn’t hold off Dr J’s Kiss, who rallied off cover. This week the victorious daughter of American Ideal pushed her archrival to a :27.1 quarter before yielding to sit the golden trip behind her through middle fractions of :57 and 1:24.2, then moved out nearing headstretch under Andrew McCarthy’s guidance and paced past her rival, leaving her 1-3/4 lengths back at the finish. Peter Foley trains the winner of $128,823 for All Star Racing Inc.

For driver McCarthy, the feature victory was one of six on the Wednesday card; in his last three appearances at Philadelphia, he’s had 14 triumphs. And he’s not doing so bad on the road either, winning the Roll With Joe Pace at Tioga on Sunday with Western Fame, longest shot on the board, helping to run his seven-day calendar tally total to 19.

If you’re trainer/driver Jimmy Takter and your colt Fleet Admiral has made breaks early in all three of his starts so far, what do you do? You let him get away sixth ahead of a breaker in a field of seven, you pull on the right line late on the first turn, and you let him take it from there. And that’s what the Muscle Hill–Cantab It All full brother to All The Time and Ariana G did, rambling up to the lead, and holding on well in the stretch to lower his mark to 1:54.4. The blossoming sophomore, who had posted a win and a second despite the three-time early unruliness, may be finally coming around for owners Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld, and the S R F Stable.

The Pennsylvania-sired 2-year-old pacing filly group takes over the spotlight here the next two days for their final preliminary rounds. The Stallion Series group goes in four divisions on Thursday, while there will be two sections of Sire Stakes action the following day. No filly was able to win in all three of the prelims to date, but each card will feature two double winners: May Bride Hanover and Skater Chick on Thursday, and Warrawee Ubeaut and Treacherous Reign on Friday.