CHESTER, PA – A pair of daughters of Donato Hanover, Seviyorum and Live Laugh Love, both trotted the Harrah's Philadelphia oval in 1:53.1 during Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action on the pre-holiday Tuesday card at the riverside oval, and coming away co-holders of the divisional track record for harness racing three-year-old trotting fillies.
Andy Miller moved Seviyorum, a winner of $325,526, out raw at the half and quickly got her in gear, clearing with a 27.4 brush down the backstretch and then duplicating the clocking the remainder of the journey to lower by a tick the local divisional standard first set by Behindclosedoors in 2010 and tied by Superstar Hanover in 2012.
Julie Miller trains the member of Team Orange Crush, who also established a personal best, for Story Inc. and the Andy Miller Stable Inc.
Then it was David Miller and Live Laugh Love's turn in the spotlight, as she brushed to the lead in front of the grandstand, went on at a quick clip, and maintained control from there. The Nifty Norman trainee, with two Sire Stakes wins and a second to Manchego in her 2018 state campaign, took a new speed badge and boosted her bankroll to $145,467 for Melvin Hartman, David McDuffee, and Diamond Creek Racing.
Phaetosive, the Explosive Matter filly who gave 2017 champion Manchego some of her strongest challenges last year, won easily in her second start of the year in 1:53.2 – a time which would have equaled the track record had not Seviyorum raced earlier (and, as it turned out, Live Laugh Love later).
Trainer/driver Trond Smedshammer and his filly both kept their heads while there were several breakers around them in the last quarter, going on true to the wire to raise her earnings to $281,393 for Purple Haze Stables LLC. (Smedshammer/Purple Haze may have given a preview of "the next generation" earlier in the card, as the freshman Explosive Matter – Hawaiian Lea filly Matterlei was successful in her purse debut in 1:58.4.)
There were also five divisions of the parallel Stallion Series competition on the only Tuesday card of the year at Philly. The winners were:
Mission Revealed, a Donato Hanover filly driven by Matt Kakaley for trainer Bill "Moon" Mullin, also co-owner with Howard Taylor, well clear in lowering her mark over seven seconds to 1:54.3.
Follow Streak, who looked like a rerun of Sire Stakes winner Seviyorum from 16 minutes earlier, with sire Donato Hanover, driver Andy Miller, trainer Julie Miller, and a backstretch brush to the lead en route to a new mark of 1:54.3 and her second Stallion Series win of the year for the Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Lawrence Dumain.
Bella Glos, a Cantab Hall filly who had to dig in to defeat Mighty Macko to her left and Pembroke Mystery to her right in 1:56.3, taking her second Stallion Series victory for trainer/driver Jimmy Takter and Black Horse Racing.
Bandol Rose, another daughter of Cantab Hall, who worked hard to get the early lead, then rolled on to a new mark of 1:55 for driver David Miller, trainer Charlie Norris, and the M T Pockets Stables.
Perfect Image, a Muscle Hill distaff who provided a second Stallion Series success for the team of David Miller and Charlie Norris while lowering her mark to 1:55.1 for owner Frank Poerio Jr., racing unchallenged the last 5/8.
From the PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia