Chester, PA — The Muscle Hill gelding Diplomacy, who had displayed a pattern of breaking in every other start, continued that trend by following up on a miscue with a wire-to-wire victory in 1:55.3, looking more like the $425,000 yearling purchase that he was, in the $13,500 featured trot for up-and-coming horses at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday (Sept. 11).
Driver Troy Beyer guided his trotter to command nearing a :28.4 quarter then got a breather to the half in :58.1. An increase of speed to a 1:26.4 three-quarters saw both the pocket and first-over horses jump off stride trying to go with him, and Diplomacy finished out 2-3/4 lengths clear of Theobald while attaining the victory for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Allister Stables LLC, L A Express & Sjoblom Inc., Frank Canzone and Michael Dolan.
The track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, arrived mid-card and in seven steers posted five victories and a second-place finish (UDR .794), including winning both $13,000 divisions of the fast-class trot.
The faster division was won by recent import Ultion Face S, who followed up on a 1:53.1 win in his U.S. bow and then a close second to the raging Antognoni S in a 1:51.4 mile last week with a 1:52.1 in-hand victory for Tetrick. Fractions of :28.1, :56.3 and 1:24.4 left the gelded son of Joke Face with plenty left of the tank for the stretch, and Ultion Face S, who has $357,438 on his card, looks ready to take on tougher assignments for trainer Per Engblom and the partnership of Jesper Bjorn Arvenberg and Engblom Stable LLC.
In the other headline race for the veteran set, Tetrick kept the Sebastian K S gelding Saint K pressing forward outside a gaggle of inside leavers, finally securing the lead at a price of :27.3 before getting a breather to the half in :57.3. Favored Super Duper Cooper joined him uncovered mid-backstretch, and the two battled past the 1:25.3 three-quarters and all the way to the wire, with Saint K getting the decision by a neck with a 1:54.4 victory for trainer Scott DiDomenico and owners Angela Cornell and Tessie Esry.
Racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia resumes on Friday (Sept. 12) at 12:25 p.m. with fast-class pacing distaffs ready to battle in a $13,000 contest; there will also be a carryover into the Pick-5 (races 5-9). Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.