Chester, PA — Scirocco Rob overcame a difficult journey to win the $22,500 handicap trotting feature on Thursday afternoon (June 9) at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Everyone wanted the lead after the start — at one early point, horses were five across the track vying for position. When the smoke cleared, Skyway Bebop forced Swan In Motion behind her nearing a :26.4 quarter and set the pace. Scirocco Rob had tucked in fourth, and driver David Miller gave him his marching orders to advance uncovered past the :56 half, with favored No Mas Drama right on his back.

That duo advanced sharply up the backside to the 1:24.2 three-quarters, and they became the two major battlers in the stretch, with the winning Explosive Matter gelding showing resiliency to hold off No Mass Drama by a nose in 1:53.2. Yanks Dugout, assigned the outside post eight and the horse who was five-wide early before tucking, had to settle for third after rallying from third-over.

Scirocco Rob is trained by Mark Silva for owner Kathleen Whitaker, and has a career bankroll of $658,646.

The $15,300 sub-featured trot saw Caviart Emma get a fine journey in the two-hole, dive to the inside to gain a mid-stretch lead, and then have enough to defeat the late-charging Lady Ann No by a head in 1:55.2. Todd McCarthy guided the victorious Trixton mare for trainer Joe Poliseno and owner Ellie Sarama.

March Forth, the 2-year-old Father Patrick-NF Happenstance trotting colt who was the first freshman to qualify at Philly this season, also became the first to race on Thursday, finishing a respectable fifth in a maiden trot while individually timed in 1:59.

Racing continues at the southeast Pennsylvania oval on Friday (June 10) at 12:25 p.m., with $5,000 guaranteed pools for the Pick-4s starting in races one and 10, along with a Pick-5 carryover of $1,138.72. The action then closes out for the week with a Sunday (June 12) card at 12:40 p.m. Program pages are or will be available on the PHHA website.