Chester, PA – Fourteen fields of freshmen faced the starting gate in the first full-scale set of 2-year-old qualifiers of the season at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
Themes set themselves up in the various divisions – driver Andy Miller and trainer Julie Miller were the dominant figures in the trotting action; the team of driver Cory Mumford and trainer Jamie Sullivan posted three 2:00 miles with male pacers, including the fastest mile among all the freshmen; and sire Papi Rob Hanover saw three of his four pacing daughters succeed.
Team Orange Crush were connected with three of the four trotting filly winners, the fastest of whom was the Walner-Flyer Mel miss Mrs Rattigan, who went wire-to-wire in 1:59.2, last half a crisp :57.2, for owner Michael Anderson. Two other trotting fillies who won for the Millers include Jula Florence (Chapter Seven-Jula Shes Magic) in 2:00 – :57.3 – :28.3 and the Greenshoe miss Honky Tonk Babe in 2:02.4.
There were only two sections for male trotters, and the Millers won with the fastest trotter of the day (and just missed the fastest pacer’s clocking by a fifth), the Love You-Southwind Adele colt Adios Amigos Kemp, who flashed successive back quarters of :29 to win in 1:58 for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Arden Homestead Stable, Jean Goehlen, and Adios Amigos Stable.
Switching over to the pacing males, Mumford piloted three precocious freshmen to victory for trainer Sullivan, the fastest of which was the 1:57.4 wire-to-wire victory of Miki’s Big Bang, a colt by Always B Miki-Shebang N who sped home in :56.2 – :27.4 to show his talent for owner James Fleming. The other pair of colt winners for Mumford/Sullivan, both also pacesetters, are owned by the triumvirate of Hamm, Phillips and Chick and are both sons of Stay Hungry: Hungry Marco (dam Always Giggling) in 1:58.1 – :56 – :27.2, and Midnight Drive (dam Turnoffthelights) in 1:58.2 – :56.2 – :27.2.
The quickest winner among the three Papi Rob Hanover freshman pacing fillies was Pa Layla (dam Tava), moving past the quarter to the lead for driver Andrew McCarthy and finishing in :57.1 – :28.2 to complete her mile in 1:58.2 for the ownership of Patricia Stables LLC, L A Express Stable LLC, Sjoblom Racing Inc., and trainer Noel Daley (McCarthy and Dailey also combined with the Captaintreacherous-Bet On Sunday distaffer Treacherous Bet for a 2:01.2 – :56 – :27.3 tally).
Papi Rob Hanover’s other two winners during the Tuesday morning set were JK Alwaysbpositive (dam JK Alwaysbalady, 1:59.4 – :56.3, :27.4) and Ginger Tree Ashley (dam Magic Starlight, 2:00.3 – :57.4).
The meet’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, had a win in three of the four baby groupings, then added two more in the qualifiers for older horses later in the morning.
Replays of the Philly qualifiers can be seen at www.phha.org.