Chester, PA – The “Trottin’ Thursday” (July 18) card made its usual strong contribution to the week’s racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with four miles for diamond-gaited horses going in 1:53 or faster at the southeast Pennsylvania oval.

The top purse event, for $15,000, saw David Miller give a heads-up drive to Ritson early, which he could parlay into a victory in 1:52.3, a new mark. Miller got away no better than fifth in the first few steps with the son of Cantab Hall, but the Hall of Fame driver played his geometrical trump card, the rail, early, getting enough quick foot out of his trotter to force wholesale leather-grabbing outside him to a :27.2 quarter. Favored Pretender, very wide early before tucking, brushed to command in front of the stands, taking the field to the half in :56.1 and 1:24.1, with Stable Genius, winner of this event the last two weeks, attacking first-over.

Stable Genius began to fade on the far turn, affording Ritson the chance to challenge after the two-hole trip, and he caught the hard-used favorite late by 1-1/4 lengths. Ritson has now won four of six Pennsylvania starts away from his base in Canada for trainer Mark Steacy and the partnership of Steacy, Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc., Dale Larson, and Stephen Downey.

The two fast-class levels of trots below the feature both produced a time a fifth faster than the headliner. Periculum made a strong move to the lead nearing the far turn, and the son of Muscle Hill won his $13,000 contest by six lengths for Team Melander, driver Mattias and trainer Marcus, and the Brixton Medical Inc. partnership with Holly Lane Stud East LLC. The $11,000 class fell to the International Moni gelding Khaosan Road, a length to the good of Rivers after setting the pace for driver/trainer Åke Svanstedt and the ownership of Knutsson Trotting Inc. and Little E LLC.

Naked Cowboy, under new sponsorship, lowered his mark to 1:53 with a 3-3/4 length romp in a $12,000 event for developing horses. The Tactical Landing sophomore gelding was driven by Tim Tetrick for trainer Dylan Davis, co-owner with Howard Taylor.

And …  combined, this speedy trotting quartet doesn’t have half the lifetime bankroll of another of the day’s winners, Crystal Fashion. The Cantab Hall gelding ran his career earnings to $2,349,229 with a 1:55 win by three lengths for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Chuck Crissman Jr., and EVM Racing LLC.

Todd McCarthy, David Miller, and Tim Tetrick each had a trio of winners during the card.

The trotters stay in the spotlight Friday (July 19) at Philly, with third round preliminaries of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Pennsylvania Stallion Stakes, where a top performance from a couple of Sire Stakes horses may alter their racing plans for the next couple of weeks. Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.