CHESTER, PA – On Wednesday afternoon Harrah's Philadelphia started its serving of Liberty Bell Series stakes action with $180,800 on the line in three harness racing divisions of freshman male action for each of the both gaits.
Despite a rainy day during which the track was rerated from "good" to "sloppy," four of the six winners took lifetime marks, and the other two winners, both pacers, came home in 55.1.
Form held up in the first two of the trotting contests. The Father Patrick – Muscle Amour gelding Saxon rallied out of the pocket to catch pacesetting DD's Redemption in his division, stopping the timer in 1:56.3 (good) in posting a half-length victory. A double winner in PA Stallion Series action, Saxon was handled by David Miller for trainer Jim Campbell for the Runthetable Stables.
Loyal Fox Hanover looked like he might be facing difficulty after PA Fair Championship winner Stickler Hanover got to the half in 1:00 in their section, but the altered son of Andover Hall – Lady Luck Hanover grinded into 57.1 – 28.1 back fractions to get by the stubborn pacesetter by 1¼ lengths in 1:57.1 (sloppy). Loyal Fox Hanover, a Stallion Series winner who was second in his Championship, was driven by Dexter Dunn for trainer Chuck Sylvester, who is a co-owner along with Steve Jones, Mary Kinsey Arnold, and Paul Bordogna.
The one trotting cut that saw the chalk defeated was also the fastest division on that gait, and it was won by the Muscle Massive – My Winning Way K colt Moveoutofmyway K in 1:56 (sloppy). Yannick Gingras tipped his colt out of the pocket midbackstretch and immediately got the lead as the pacesetter broke, and then the pair were able to ward off the late burst of favored Patriarch Hanover by a half-length. Norm Parker conditions the first-time stakes winner for owner Robert Key.
Contrasting with the trotting events, the contests for baby pacers saw no favorite emerge victorious. The fastest winner was the Well Said – Bodacious Hanover colt Lake Charles, who was sent to the top by Tim Tetrick, then came home in :55.1 – :27.2 for a 1:51.4 victory (good). Tell Them Lou was three-quarters of a length back in second and favored Manticore third behind the PA Stallion Series Championship winner, who is trained by Ray Schnittker and is co-owned by him with Dr. John Egloff, Max Hempt, and Steven Arnold.
Brian Sears sent Father Nuno, the Somebeachsomewhere – Worldly Treasure colt who is a full brother to Captaintreacherous, to the top in his division, and like Lake Charles, Father Nuno posted back splits of :55.1 – 27.2 to complete the mile in 1:53.1 (sloppy), 2¼ lengths ahead of favored Mac's Big Boy. The brother team of trainer Tom and owner John Cancelliere are the sponsorship behind the impeccably-bred baby.
The one pacing winner who did post a new mark was also the longest shot of the six stakeswinners at $30.60: the Sweet Lou – Keystone Dawn mare Keystone Dash, who rallied from the pocket for driver Andrew McCarthy to overhaul pacesetting favorite Starship by a nose in 1:53.1 (good). The youngster, a PA Stallion Series winner who is owned by Ãke Svanstedt Inc., had not raced in 33 days, but despite any layoff Svanstedt horses usually come out ready for a big mile, as did Keystone Dash today.
From the PHHA / Harrah's Philadelphia