Chester, PA – The female pacers were in the spotlight on Friday afternoon (Aug. 29) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with two $12,000 paces for developing distaffs, and an $11,000 contest for the established fast-class set.
The Lazarus N sophomore filly Bequeath, a Kentucky transplant with one start at Yonkers, took immediately to the Philly oval, winning the faster feature for up-and-coming females in 1:53.1. Johnathan Ahle reserved the filly off a highly-contested pace well past the half, and then with one decisive move down the back swept the field and left the opposition far in her wake. Trainer Andrew Harris co-owns the winner with Ray Lasky and Nathan Cockerham.
In the other cut, the Papi Rob Hanover 3-year-old filly Wednesday Bluechip was limbed out almost to the quarter for command, rated the half, then paced home strongly in control to post a 1:55 victory. Eric Goodell had the sulky seat behind the Robert Cleary trainee for Let It Ride Stables Inc.
In the fast-class distaff pace, the Heston Blue Chip mare Pressure Cooker found herself under pressure on the front end in fast fractions, but the favorite was up to the challenge, winning by a clear margin in 1:52. George Napolitano Jr. guided the winner to her twelfth tally in but forty lifetime starts for trainer Linda Toscano and the ownership of Let It Ride Stables Inc. (giving them two of the three Philly Friday features), Odds On Racing, and Mac Nichol.
Top horsemen of the day were Johnathan Ahle and George Napolitano Jr., who each drove three winners.
Racing continues at Philly on Sunday at 12:40, and then next Thursday at 12:25. A week from the Friday card summarized here, September 5, Harrah’s Philadelphia will be proud to host some of the best two-year-olds in North American harness racing, as the precocious babies contest $300,000 in each of their four sections of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships. PaSS consolations and Open action for fast-class older horses will bring the total purse distribution on the day over $1,500,000. This card, also with a 12:25 start, will be drawn on Tuesday.
Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.