Chester, PA — With the start of the stakes season for 2-year-olds swiftly approaching, some talented freshmen were out for qualifying action at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Tuesday morning (June 23).

On the pacing side, driver Allan Davis and trainer Mike Hall shared honors with driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Jim King Jr., as both duos had two filly wins and a colt victory.

Davis/Hall had the fastest winner on each sex, with 1:56.2 miles, the first coming with the Always B Miki–Barbuda Babe gelding Grand Cayman, who made a break in his first outing but minded his manners in a 1:56.2 wire-to-wire win with a :28 last quarter. Hall co-owns the freshman with CTC Stable and Howard Taylor.

King/Tetrick kept pace among the males with the Sweet Lou–Aries Angel colt Sweet Angel Boy, home in :27.4 in a 2:00 tally for owner Jo Ann Looney-King.

Fastest among the fillies on the pacing gait was the Somebeachsomewhere–Arrivista Hanover miss Waterboard, who made two moves in going on to the 1:56.2 victory for Davis/Hall, the latter co-owner with Let It Ride Stables Inc. and CTC Stable.

Hall and CTC teamed up for a third 2-year-old win with the Roll With Joe–Grizzly Mama miss Roll On Mama, who moved to the lead in the front of the stands and went on to a 1:57 victory, with back fractions of :56.3 and :28.1 under Davis’ tutelage.

Tetrick/King countered, first with Somebeachsomewhere–Bettor Than Silk distaff Lyons Softassilk, who closed from far back in :27.2 to win in 1:57.1 for Threelyonsracing, and then with 1:56.3 winner Sniper Hanover, a daughter of Captaintreacherous–Snippet Hanover who became the only freshman of the day to post a second qualifying win. Jo Ann Looney-King co-owns this promising filly with Tim Tetrick LLC.

The Jim Campbell barn finished first in both events for young trotting males, with Jeremy Morrison guiding both 2-year-olds to the wins. Take All Comers, a Creatine-Nantab colt, went wire-to-wire in a 1:58.3 win for Runthetable Stables; the Muscle Hill–Cocktail Hour colt Cricket Fashion raced behind slow fractions, then came on to win in 2:05 for Fashion Farms LLC.

Fastest 2-year-old trotting filly was the Explosive Matter–La Boheme miss Lexa Hanover, who threw successive :29.1 back quarters for the 2:00.1 victory for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Steve LeBlanc, and the partnership of LeBlanc Racing Inc., Douglas Johnson, and Glenn Dyke.

A final qualifying note: the Googoo Gaagaa sophomore trotting colt Yall Beneath Me was undefeated in seven Maryland stakes starts at two by a combined margin of 135-3/4 lengths, or an average of just over 19 lengths per race. Yall Beneath Me won at first asking at three for driver Russell Foster and owner/trainer Richard Hans, but was only 11-1/2 lengths clear of the field at the end of his 1:57.2 victory.