Åke Svanstedt, who spent his weekend in Toronto winning two Breeders Crown elimination races and qualifying three others for the $6 million+ championships, promptly came back to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 23) and won the two divisions of the $106,600 John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies, both via the uncovered route.
First to parade back to the winner's circle with trainer/driver Svanstedt was Wild Jiggy S, a daughter of International Moni-Hot Mess Hanover who broke her maiden with a 1:55.2 victory. There were three horses across at the finish, with Wild Jiggy S getting the decision by a neck over pacesetting Ruth Honig while the favoured pocket-sitter Park Slope shot up the inside only to be another head back at the finish. Wild Jiggy S, a half-sister to Breeders Crown elim winner Jiggy Jog S, is owned by Jorgen Sparradal Inc.
The road to the winner's circle was not nearly as difficult for Svanstedt and Pure Hope S, a foreign-bred daughter of Brillantissime–Final Hope, blitzing right by going into the far turn when moving uncovered and drawing away to a 6-3/4-length triumph in 1:54.4. Perry Soderberg owns the winner of three out of seven in her brief career.
The stakes event was sponsored by Davidia Hanover.
The track’s top two drivers, Tim Tetrick and Simon Allard, both had three winners on the Sunday card. Tetrick still has the sizable lead of 210-141, but Allard kept up the amazing streak of being the top driver or co-top driver during 11 of the last 12 Philly cards, and has come home first 39 times in those last four weeks at the riverside oval.
Harness racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon at 12:25 p.m., with two divisions of the Albatross-sponsored $86,800 John Simpson Sr. Memorial Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts.
(With files from PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia)