from the PHHA /Harrah’s Philadelphia
Chester, PA — Trainer Jim Campbell showed he has two Hambletonian-caliber horses for new Hall of Famer Jules Siegel and his Fashion Farms in Patent Leather and Crystal Fashion, as they posted identical 1:53.3 times in winning divisions of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colt trotters Friday afternoon (July 20) at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
And the Campbell duo defied a trend as Patent Leather was the second choice in his race and Crystal Fashion the favorite in his, and they were the only two of the six 1-2 choices in the three divisions who did not make a break.
Crystal Fashion, unraced since winning the Beal final on June 30 and starting from the outside post seven, was away quickly, but backed off to a tuck in fourth as Hill Street set the early pace of :28.2 and :57.4, with second choice Lindy’s Big Bang in the pocket.
Tim Tetrick had his Cantab Hall gelding on the move past the half, and he had reached Hill Street before the 1:25.2 three-quarter pole. It was just past that point that Lindy’s Big Bang ran in the pocket, and Crystal Fashion had it fairly easy from there, going past the pacesetter at headstretch and winning by three-quarters of a length over Mississippi Storm, who closed well but wasn’t a threat nearing the wire.
Campbell had a good idea that Tetrick would likely stick with Crystal Fashion in future outings, so he engaged Andrew McCarthy to drive Patent Leather in his division. Favored Hat Trick Habit yielded to Gemologist before the :26.4 quarter, then broke soon off the first turn to take himself out of contention. McCarthy waited in fourth with his Broadway Hall colt as Gemologist got a breather to the half in :57.1, then took up chase at the five-eighths, reaching the leader by the 1:25.1 three-quarter pole and then drawing off at will, ahead of second-place Exarch by 3-1/2 lengths on the money.
The other division proved to be the fastest. The 1-2 choices, Lawmaker and Whats The Word, were both offstride before the five-sixteenths, leaving the path clear for pacesetting Scirocco Rob to post a 1:53.1 victory, a tick short of his career best posted here last week, after commanding through fractions of :27, :55.3, and 1:24.1. Make It A Double inherited the pocket, drafted behind the leader, and made a good race of it in the stretch, but the victorious altered son of Explosive Matter, stakes-placed in several recent races, had enough to hold on by a neck for driver Corey Callahan, trainer John Butenschoen, and owners Kathleen and Lewis Whitaker Jr.