Four $12,600 feature races for developing horses of all varieties were the headliners at Harrah’s Philadephia on Friday (June 3).
The recent Aussie import Spock A is now two for three Stateside after a wire-to-wire victory in 1:51.3, a new mark, in the feature division for pacing males. A Captaintreacherous gelding, Spock A won by 2-1/4 lengths over pocket-sitting Make My Deo. The winner was driven by Todd McCarthy for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of Enviro Stables LTD, Alberg Racing, and Camelot Stable Inc. – and he can still squeeze one more win out of this class because of low lifetime earnings.
There were two divisions of the pacing filly and mare part of the features, with the faster going to the Huntsville three-year-old filly Lee Loo in 1:53.2. Coming off a 1:50.2 qualifier at The Meadowlands, Lee Loo was heavily favoured in her 2022 bow, but she had to work hard to overcome both an overland uncovered journey and a tenacious San Antonio Stroll charging up the inside to post a nose win for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Tony Alagna, and the ownership of Crawford Farms Racing, Heather Marshall, Pit Bull Stable LLC, and Patrick O’Brien.
Trainer Alagna, whose UTR at Harrah’s by the end of the card was given a boost to .635, also was victorious in the other distaff pacing feature division. Heavenly Angel caught up with cover late in the backstretch, came wide off the far turn, looked like she might get outpaced by Sweetbeedo from off her back, but fought on gamely to take a head decision on that foe and also to take a new mark of 1:54. Andrew McCarthy and Alagna again teamed up as the Captaintreacherous sophomore filly won her second straight for Willow Oak Ranch.
In the trotting feature, the Walner sophomore colt Saverio Hanover literally got a break when after tucking third, the leader at the time made a miscue, upgrading his passage to the pocket trip. From there Saverio Hanover, a 1:55.1 winner at two, was able to come up the inside late to outfoot a game Lookin Chic by a neck in 1:56.3 for driver David Miller, trainer Ron Coyne Jr., and the partnership of Ron Coyne Stables Inc. and Blair Corbeil.
The local racing week closes out on Sunday at 12:40 p.m. with a $22,500 winners-over pace. Next Wednesday, Hammering Hank will be making his anticipated 2022 debut in a division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts. Program pages are or will be available at the PHHA website.
(PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia)