Chester, PA – Yo, Tillie. A top-class 3-year-old trotting filly qualified Tuesday morning at Harrah’s Philadelphia, and she may soon be in the hunt against you in the major fall stakes.
The Muscle Hill distaff What A Bid Hanover has already shown her quality on several occasions: second in her Breeders Crown elimination and then fourth in the final (after being 10th and three-wide at the three-quarters) and winning the Goldsmith Maid at 2, and this year taking a New Jersey Sire Stakes prelim (and third in the final after again being 10th three-wide with a quarter left) and a division of the Del Miller Memorial (in 1:51.4). She has often been her own worst enemy with breaks and a lack of gaining early position.
What A Bid Hanover had no such problems Tuesday at Philly, heading down the road in :30.4, :59.4. 1:28 and 1:56.3 – and if a horse gains any confidence from a margin of victory, the 25-3/4 length triumph would certainly be a boost to the Åke Svanstedt driven and trained filly.
Another Svanstedt horse to watch that won a qualifier Tuesday at Philly is Get A Wish DK, a son of Wishing Stone who made his mark in Europe to the extent that he raced in the 2023 and 2024 MGM Yonkers International Trots. He was matched against top free-for-allers upon coming to campaign Stateside earlier this year and now is back and showing he is ready for racing with a wire-to-wire effort of :29.1, 1:00.1, 1:28.2, and 1:55.4 (:55.3 – :27.2 on the back end), winning by “only” 23-1/4 lengths for Svanstedt.
Redwood Hanover, a son of Stay Hungry who had faced Open company at Woodbine Mohawk Park and Harrah’s Hoosier Park, made his first start for trainer Per Engblom an impressive one with splits of :28.3, :58.1, 1:24.4 before finishing in 1:51.1 (back half :53, back quarter :26.2) with Petter Engblom driving.
The Tuesday Philly qualifiers can be watched through www.phha.org.