Chester, PA — Once again the “Cancelliere Breakfast Special” was on the menu of the Tuesday morning (May 13) qualifiers at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with Maximus Miki and Ruthless Hanover easily winning the first two of the qualifiers for the team of trainer Tom Cancelliere and owner John Cancelliere.
Ruthless Hanover was again the main entrée, as the 8-year-old roared through fractions of :28, :55.2, and 1:23 en route to a 6-3/4 length victory in 1:51 with the guidance of George Napolitano Jr.
The Somebeachsomewhere gelding went the fastest mile ever on a five-eighths-mile track when he won here in the 2023 Joseph Auger Memorial, stopping the clock in 1:46.3. Last year he defended his Auger title successfully, in 1:47.2.
But the Auger was his fifth start of 2023 and second of 2024, and with his 2025 card showing nothing but two qualifiers, it will be interesting if he tries for a three-peat on “Super Sunday” just 12 days hence.
Maximus Miki, an altered son of Always B Miki and a multiple Open-level winner, is quite the “opening course” himself, and he followed up on his 1:55.3 qualifier of April 29 with a success involving fractions of :28.1, :56.1, and 1:24.4 en route to an 18 length triumph in 1:52.2, also with Napolitano driving.
There was good trotting action as well during the qualifying session. The $1.2 million winning French Wine rallied in 1:55 in his 5-year-old bow, the son of Bar Hopping a half-length ahead of Super Duper Cooper for trainer Julie Miller and driver Andy Miller. French Wine has Kentucky and Pennsylvania Sire Stake titles on his resume.
Also looking good was the sophomore Gimpanzee filly Voguish, winning in 1:54.3 with Todd McCarthy doing the driving for trainer Andrew Harris. Voguish was a Grand Circuit winner last year.
Replays of the Philly qualifiers are available at www.phha.org.