The 19th season of live harness racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia starts on Friday, April 12 with 14 races set to go postward.
The top purse of the day will be the $12,500 USD bounty offered to distaff pacers in race six; there will also be four contests for the highest-priced claimers on the grounds.
After Opening Day, Harrah’s Philadelphia will be racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. until June, when Wednesday 12:25 p.m. cards will be added to the mix.
Philly also held another round of qualifiers prior to its opener and it was dominated by Team Orange Crush and Team Tetrick/King. Driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie sent out three winning three-year-old trotting fillies, all partially owned by Andy Miller Stable Inc.: Green Mercedes (sired by Greenshoe), a 1:54.3 winner last year, won all by herself in 1:56.2, while career debutantes All Green (sired by Greenshoe, 1:59.4 winning time) and Vivacity (sired by Muscle Hill, 2:00.1 winning time) made their racetrack bows successful. Even the junior member of Team Orange Crush got in on the act, as Tyler Miller catch-drove older pacer Hurrymiki Hanover to a 1:57.1 victory.
Defending driving champion Tim Tetrick, who won four qualifiers at Philly on Friday, had a double Tuesday with Jim King Jr.-trained three-year-old sons of Captaintreacherous. Both showed sharp late foot: the gelding Fig Newton, who set the pace and came home in :56 and :27.1 to stop the timer in 1:57.3, and the colt Lyons Benjamin, a Pennsylvania All-Stars winner at two who roared home to win in identical time, with his own back fractions of :55.1 and :26.3.
Harrah’s Philly programs will be available at phha.org.
(With files from PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)