from harness publicists across North America

Friday’s (April 24) edition of Racing Roundup features results stories from Harrah’s Philadelphia, Vernon Downs and Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

Blush Hanover scores in Philly feature

Chester, PA — A field of eight upper-conditioned level filly and mare pacers lined up for the featured event on Friday afternoon from Harrah’s Philadelphia.

The wagering public put their support behind Linda Toscano trainee Blush Hanover. The daughter of Art Major was coming off a solid third place performance against similar.

At the start, the race favorite initially left, but took back, as class-dropping Jeremes Sweetheart (Vic Kirby) left hard for the lead. After a swift :27 opening quarter, the pace slowed down some at the half (:56.3). Business picked up, however, as longshot Odds On Alpha (Marcus Miller) moved up first-over to challenge at the three-quarters in 1:24.2.

Jeremes Sweetheart shunned that challenge by stretch’s beginning, but faced a host of fresh challengers in the stretch, including favorite Blush Hanover.

At the finish, it was Blush Hanover (Tim Tetrick) moving through to narrowly win, stopping the clock in 1:53.3. Jeremes Sweetheart finished second, while Stormunn (Pat Berry) was third.

Blush Hanover is owned by Stake Your Claim Stables, Seth Coen and George Derocker.

— Mike Bozich

Vernon Downs
After only mustering a fourth-place finish in his seasonal debut last week, A Penny Earned ($4.10) was quick to right the ship, taking Friday evening’s $10,000 Open Trot at Vernon Downs in 1:56.2. The 6-year-old Conway Hall gelding secured the pocket early behind Grey Ice (Jimmy Whittemore), brushing to a clear lead just upon entering the clubhouse turn. After exerting himself a bit to assume command through a :28.2 first quarter, he faced no pressure through a :31 stroll through the second. He was forced to pick up the pace on the far turn, as defending Open winner War Hero (Howard Okusko Jr.) offered up mild first-over pressure. A Penny Earned would not be denied tonight, kept to task by Chris Lems to hold clear of War Hero by 1-1/4 lengths. Jaipur (Fern Paquet Jr.) was urged to take third in deep stretch after loosely tracking War Hero’s cover on the far turn. Trainer George Ducharme co-owns the 22-time winner A Penny Earned with Alfred Ross, Paul Fontaine and Nicola Oliva. The win was one of three on the night for Lems, who was also victorious aboard David Dewhurst trainees Hollywood Jess ($9.00, 1:59.4) and Kyler’s Valentine ($5.10, 1:55.3) earlier on the card. Dewhurst’s training hat trick was completed by The African ($14.00, 2:00), who was driven to victory by John MacDonald in the opener. The African and Hollywood Jess earned their respective victories in two of four first-round divisions of the Catherine Burton Trotting Series, with each split carrying a $4,000 purse. The other two division winners were Deadhead Royalty ($6.20), driven by Howard Okusko Jr. for a late-rallying 1:59.2 score and Julmyra ($16.20), who pounced up the inside from a pocket trip in rein to trainer-driver Brett Crawford.

Saratoga Casino and Raceway
The defending Pacing Mare of the Year at Saratoga Casino and Raceway, Road Bet (Bettor’s Delight), scored her second Open win of the season on a chilly Friday night in the Spa City. Stephane Bouchard piloted the 5-year-old Kyle Spagnola trainee to a wire-to-wire victory in 1:55 in the $18,000 Fillies and Mares Open. Cherry Bliss (Mark Beckwith) closed to finish second, besting Let’s Go Higher (Billy Dobson) who had to settle for the show spot. Road Bet, who became the second mare to win the feature twice in 2015, returned $8.90 to win and led an exacta and triple that came back $28.20 and $71, respectively.