Chester, PA – Tony Morgan, the second winningest North American driver of all time, achieved the 17,000th victory of his career in the first race at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (April 24).

Driving 14-1 shot Commander Hill, Morgan got his horse away third, stayed inside, then found room up the inside as Ain’t It Fun vacated the two-hole at the top of the stretch to challenge and then pass leading Northern Baccarat. The race boiled down to Ain’t It Fun and Commander Hill, and Morgan’s horse appeared to have a slight advantage when Ain’t It Fun went off stride just before the wire, cementing the milestone moment.

Tony Morgan drove the 17,000th winner of his career when he steered 14-1 long shot Commander Hill to victory in the Sunday opener at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Grace Zimmers photo.

Morgan was the leading driver on the Chicagoland circuit for many years before coming over to the Mid-Atlantic region, first in Delaware, when slot-helped purses brought winnings to new overnight highs. Morgan has led North America four times in victories, from 1995-1997 and then again in 2006, when he recorded 1,004 visits to Victory Lane. In doing so, he became one of only four North Americans to win that often in a season, the others being Walter Case Jr., Aaron Merriman and Tim Tetrick, a fellow Illinois competitor who made the migration eastward at approximately the same time Morgan did.

The 63-year-old Morgan achieved his 17,000th win in his 84,890th drive, giving him a win percentage of just over 20 percent in a career that started in 1974. Horses driven by Morgan have earned in excess of $139 million over the years.

Dave Palone is the all-time leader with 19,924 driving wins.

The card was headlined by a pair of $16,200 handicap paces, one for each sex.

The event for males saw the 1-5 Vettel N go for his fifth straight victory from his assigned post eight, but after fractions of :26.3, :55 and 1:23, he couldn’t sustain his lead against Lyons Steel, who drove up the inside from the pocket to win by a neck in 1:49.4 – the quickest clocking of 2022 locally, and the fifth race of the day during which the local seasonal standard was beaten or tied. Simon Allard engineered the 6-1 mild upset with the Rock N Roll Heaven gelding for trainer Dennis Watson and BD Racing LLC.

The co-feature for distaffers was taken by Rockn Philly, moving up the inside late from the two-hole to finish 1-1/2 lengths ahead of the closing Crazy Cute and pacesetting favorite Annabelle Hanover in 1:51. Andy McCarthy drove the victorious daughter of A Rocknroll Dance for trainer Noel Daley and Morrison Racing Stables.

Tim Tetrick and Andy McCarthy both had three winners on the afternoon, solidifying their one-two positioning. Tetrick currently enjoys a 22-18 edge.

Racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia resumes on Thursday (April 28) at 12:25 p.m., with top-class trotters featured throughout the card. Program pages will be available on the PHHA website.