CHESTER PA – Developing horses on their way up the class ladder were featured in a pair of $14,000 pacing events Wednesday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, with a pair of harness racing sons of Somebeachsomewhere, Blacklight and Bring The Thunder, emerging victorious.
Bring The Thunder may have started his career with fourteen defeats, but right now he's a winner of two straight, and he has a nice new mark of 1:52 after taking one of the features. Driver Dexter Dunn sent the winner around early leader Scirocco Mistysaid off the first turn, then paced a :55.1 back half to hold that resurgent one safe by ¾ of a length for trainer Chris Ryder, who is partners on Bring The Thunder with Robert Mondillo and Max Wernick.
Tim Tetrick, six wins away from 11,000 career victories, yielded for the two-hole with Blacklight behind favored Chaser Hanover; the second half went in :55.1 in this second feature as well, with the winner able to rally past the pacesetter by a length in 1:53.2 for trainer Per Engblom and Diamond Creek Racing. This sophomore has royal parentage apart from his father – he is the first foal out of the $1.9M-winning champion mare I Luv The Nitelife.
A pair of $12,500 paces served as co-features on the week-opening card. In the first event, George Napolitano Jr., a four-time winner on Wednesday, took heed of the name of Kept Under Wraps and worked out a pocket trip for him in a very contentious mile. After the smoke cleared at headstretch, Napolitano sent him through on the inside and recorded a ¾ length victory over favored Chumlee A in 1:52.1, a new lifetime record at age eight for the Bettor's Delight gelding, who is trained by Travis Kolaczynski for owner Aimee Scheid.
The second co-feature was held as race twelve, and it marked the first time all day that the winner was not the pacesetter or the pocket horse, as Imstayinalive tipped wide off of cover past midturn and closed to catch Control Tower by a half length. Pat Berry rallied the son of American Ideal to the 1:51.2 victory, his first of the season for trainer Pat Lachance and the partnership of Lachance Racing Stable and Dan Mogridge.
PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia
Jerry Connors