Chester, PA — You don’t get to $3,146,993 in career earnings without possessing speed and toughness, and the nine-year-old Somebeachsomewhere gelding This Is The Plan showed both in abundance while winning the $13,000 featured handicap pace on Sunday (May 12) afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Andrew McCarthy got the Ron Burke trainee to the top before a :26.4 quarter over “good” going, then continued to roll on the lead with splits of :54.4 and 1:22.1, being joined via the uncovered route by 2024 debutant South Beach Star near the latter station.

Those two tussled the length of the stretch, and the veteran showed heart to dig down for a neck victory in 1:49.4, an excellent time over less-than-ideal condition. Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, J&T Silva – Purnel & Libby, and Lawrence Karr have owned the evergreen pacer since February 2019, or about $2.5 million ago.

The two-year-old pacing colt Breeders Crown champion of last year, Gem Quality, won his seasonal debut at Pocono yesterday, and today the 2022 Crown champion of that division, Ammo, also made his first race of the year a success, taking an $11,000 fast-class sub feature pace. Ammo, who paid $106 to win and defeated 2023 Horse of the Year Confederate in his Crowning achievement, won Sunday out of the pocket in 1:50.4 by a half-length over Storm The Court, who had sat on his back, for a trio of Hall of Famers: driver David Miller, trainer Joe Holloway, and Ted Gewertz, the last-named co-owner with Val D’Or Farms.

A $12,000 pace for up-and-coming horses saw the Downbytheseaside gelding Twin B Seamonster take his yearly record to 4-3-1-0 by holding off hard-trying pocket sitter Fig Newton by a neck in 1:52.4. Patrick Ryder was in the sulky for trainer/father Chris and owner Anthony Timmins.

Harrah’s Philadelphia is currently racing three days a week: Thursdays and Fridays at 12:25 p.m., and Sundays at 12:40 p.m. Free Philly programs will be available at www.phha.org.