Chester, PA – Mr Houdini needed little magic to win the $16,000 trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (Nov. 16). He just needed his native ability, which enabled him to come home in :57 over a “sloppy +2” surface to take a new mark of 1:56.1.

Andrew McCarthy quickly had the altered son of Kadabra on the lead, and the winner of three straight rattled off splits of 29.1, 59.1, and 1:27.3 on the engine. Girl Talk stayed close to the winner throughout and tried to rally from the pocket late, but Mr Houdini saw that one’s late bid off by 3/4 of a length for trainer Ron Burke and the ownership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC.

In the top pacing event of the day, for distaffs worth $14,500, heading to the wire three of the four involved in the drive were New Zealanders. The import Nike Franco N (handled by Flora IL’s Tim Tetrick, the lone non-Kiwi) withstood a big late charge from Delightfulmemphisn and the “Down Under Wonder” driver Dexter Dunn, to prevail in 1:52.4 in the off going.

Tetrick moved the victorious daughter of McArdle ahead of early leader Oceania past the 27.1 quarter, put up middle fractions of 56.3 and 1:24.2, and looked free and clear at headstretch. But Delightfulmemphisn angled four-wide and cut into the lead with every stride in the lane, only to come up a half-length short on the money.

The winner, trained by Scott Di Domenico, recorded her second straight win, and now has lifetime earnings of $822,029 while raising her career win ratio to 43% (32 for 75). She is owned by William Hartt, Foulk Stables Inc., JFE Enterprise LLC, and Triple D Stables Inc.