With two wins in Pennsylvania Sires Stakes (PASS) wins under her belt but a sick scratch from her last race, the Captaintreacherous filly Beach Cowgirl rebounded off a 39-day absence to win her PASS division in 1:51.4 on Thursday (Aug. 25) at Harrah's Philadelphia.
Driver Joe Bongiorno got Beach Cowgirl — starting from post 2 — around Proud Mary to her inside early in the PASS contest and then yielded to Hello Yes Hi, who was favoured until the last flash in the betting off two-straight successes including a 1:52.4 PASS win. Hello Yes Hi hit the quarter in :27.2 and must have shown no signs of wanting to yield, as Bongiorno seemed to rethink quarter moves, allowing Hello Yes Hi to get a breather to the half in :56.3.
Longshots Daffled Hanover and Ginger Tree Coco advanced to three-quarters in 1:24.1. Hello Yes Hi progressed strongly and Proud Mary angled out, but Beach Cowgirl, taking the inner route, got the big check by a neck over Hello Yes Hi with Proud Mary third. Trainer Jennifer Bongiorno had brought back the team’s special filly in winning form for Joseph Di Scala Jr., Zippett Racing Stable, Scarlett Stables LLC, and JAF Racing LLC.
Though Beach Cowgirl won three PASS starts, she was not the leading point winner in her division, as the Captaintreacherous-My Little Delight filly My Little Captain rung her Sire Stakes record to 4-3-1-0 by taking a new mark of 1:52.2 in her cut. Tim Tetrick made two speed moves with My Little Captain during opening fractions of :28 and :57 and then started the sprint home, hitting the three-quarters in 1:25 before tacking on a :27.2 kicker in winning by 1-1/4 lengths over Mind Blowing. Andrew Stafford trains the talented two-year-old for EVM Racing LLC.
In the third PASS event, the Stay Hungry-Venus Delight filly My Hungry Girl also earned a new mark after a 1:53.2 mile. Yannick Gingras made the lead with the winner in a :28.1 opener, then yielded to favoured Absolute Power and tailed that one through midsplits of :57 and 1:25.1 before tipping her outside. My Hungry Girl took her cue and took off for a 2-1/4-length victory over the chalk for trainer Ron Burke and owner Brad Grant, her first win since breaking her maiden in her career debut.
There were also three $20,000 divisions of Stallion Stakes events, with those fillies also seeking to earn points and qualify for their Championship, to be held at Pocono the day after the PASS Championships at Philly. Assuring herself of a spot was the leading prelim point-winner Little Lady J, a daughter of A Rocknroll Dance-Monets Lilly who now has three of her North American division-leading seven victories in Stallion Series action, this one in a new mark of 1:53.4 for driver David Miller and owner-trainer Mitchell York.
Trainer "Nifty" Norman won the other two Stallion Series divisions with maidens, one being the Always B Miki-Fit To Frame miss Falana Hanover, who won in 1:54.3 as the favourite for driver Dexter Dunn and owners Pinske Stables, Enzed Racing Stable Inc., Lawrence Means, and Jerry Kovach. The other – and fastest – divisional winner was by no means favoured like Falana Hanover, as Victor Kirby rallied the Heston Blue Chip-Moonlight Spin filly Romantic Evening through a late-developing seam and got up in 1:53.3 for Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Bottom Line Racing LLC to pay $109.20 to her scattered backers. This was the second day in a row that driver Victor Kirby had brought in a $100-plus winner at Philly.
Even Sires Stakes don’t totally derail “Trottin’ Thursday” in southeast Pennsylvania, and the $22,500 handicap trot provided an exciting finish – and vindication for the Race Office. Millionaire Amigo Volo, assigned the outermost post in the field of eight, became only the seventh horse in 1,087 races at Philly this year to rally from as far back as third-over to take the sub-feature. He defeated Incommunicado by a head in 1:53.2, with Storm Is Raging only another head back in third. Trainer "Nifty" Norman got his third winner of the day with the Dexter Dunn-driven Father Patrick gelding, who is owned by Pinske Stables and David J. Miller.
Tim Tetrick boosted his season-leading win total at the track with four first-place finishes.
The fast-class pacers return to Harrah's Philadelphia on Friday (Aug. 26) with the $22,500 feature event handicapping Komodo Beach, who in his last start equaled the fastest local clocking of the year at 1:48.4, to the outermost slot. Sunday (Aug. 28) will see two-year-old trotting fillies in Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series action. Harrah’s Philly will be hosting all four of divisions during the $1-million Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship Day for the freshmen on Sunday, Sept.4.
(PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia)