Chester, PA — Hayek won for the third consecutive time at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 29), stepping up in company to capture the $22,500 handicap trot in 1:53.1.

George Naploitano Jr. was willing to pay a good early price to get to the lead with 9-5 favorite Hayek, three-deep midway around the first turn and not clearing until past the :27.3 opening quarter. Once on top, the E L Titan gelding set :56.1 and 1:24.4 middle splits, joined at the latter station by the uncovered Storm Is Raging, Through the stretch, Storm Is Raging remained game, but Hayek proved 1-1/4 lengths better.

Per Engblom, the leading conditioner at Harrah’s Philadelphia, trains the winner of $119,945 this year and $400,046 lifetime for Evan Katz and Frank Canzone.

Another horse to post a third straight win on Thursday afternoon was the Archangel gelding Lexus Kody, who won the $15,300 co-featured trot in 1:53.3. Simon Allard let the dust settle before moving heavy favorite Lexus Kody to the lead after the :27.4 quarter, put up middle splits of :56.3 and 1:25.2, and saw his trotter come home seemingly effortlessly to win by 5-1/4 lengths over 49-1 Cash Machine Girl while boosting his earnings to $203,897.

Before recently crossing the border from Canada to join the Burke Brigade and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phil Collura, Lexus Kody had opened his season with six straight second-place finishes — the last five by a neck or less. After a break in his first Stateside start, at Yonkers, his form has been perfect.

Jack Pelling posted three winners on the day to top the local driving colony.

The upcoming cards at 12:25 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 30) and 12:40 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 2) will find pacers in the spotlight, with fast-class horses battling for $16,200 in the Friday feature. Program pages are available via the PHHA website.