CHESTER, PA – The harness racing trotters and pacers went behind the starting gate at Harrah’s Philadelphia for the first time in 2021 on Friday, with eight qualifiers held a week before the track’s Opening Day of Friday, April 2.
The fastest winner was the full brother to Captaintreacherous, the Somebeachsomewhere – Worldly Treasure four-year-old Father Nuno, who won in 1:53.3 under the guidance of George Napolitano Jr. for trainer Tom and owner/brother John Cancelliere. The royally-bred pacer’s last purse start was in the Governor’s Cup as a two-year-old, where he was second to Papi Rob Hanover; he qualified twice in June last year but never started, and this was his first racetrack appearance since those qualifiers.
The wife/husband team of driver Jackie and trainer Frank Ingrassia signaled their barn was ready for the start of the Philly season by sending out two trotters who wired their fields: the Andover Hall sophomore colt Ceffyl Dwr, a stakes winner at two, who won in 1:58.2, and the veteran Crazed gelding Izoh, home in 1:58. Jackie Ingrassia shares ownership of Ceffyl Dwr (named after a magical horse in Welsh folklore) with Donna Franchetti and Thomas Doran; that combination also owns Izoh along with Arden Homestead Stable.
The basic schedule at Harrah’s Philadelphia will remain Wednesday-Thursday-Friday racing at 12:25 p.m., and Sunday racing at 12:40 p.m. One immediate variation in that schedule will come on Sunday, April 4, Easter Sunday, when there will not be a live card.
Program pages will be available throughout the meet at https://www.phha.org.
From the PHHA/The Downs