CHESTER, PA – The Italian import Tuonoblu Rex won for the first time in 405 days on Thursday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, taking the $18,000 featured trot in 1:53.1.
The son of Cantab Hall won his first three U.S. starts starting in April of last year and then added a fourth victory on July 7 before his 2017 campaign ended after only eight starts on August 5.
The trotter came back in May of this year but was undistinguished in two starts before a brief layoff, during which Mark Silva bought a share of the horse and took over the care of the winner of $253,143,
The Andy Miller Stable Inc. is the current co-owner, and indeed Miller was in the sulky on Thursday, quarter-moving his charge after a 27.4 split and not having many anxious moments thereafter as the 1-5 favorite, posting midsplits of 56.2 and 1:24.2 en route to the easy triumph.
The Muscle Hill mare Dream Baby Dream, with champion CR Kay Suzie not far back in her maternal pedigree, continues to develop into the kind of horse her breeding might allow, taking the $17,000 co-featured trot.
Andrew McCarthy moved the four-year-old outside from third at the 28 quarter, and after Signal Hill finally made the top near the 3/8 Dream Baby Dream went on to the top, but not without working to a 56 half.
Zagster put in a spirited challenge to and just past the 1:24.4 3/4s, but he fell back a bit, and the winner was able to withstand the late move of favored Sortie by ¾ of a length in 1:53.2, the same time Dream Baby Dream posted in winning here seven days ago. Brett Pelling conditions the winner of $225.096 for the Wiesman Farms LLC.
From the PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia