Everlast Sting Deo holds Toast Of The Town in off going

CHESTER PA – The rain came midcard during the Sunday afternoon program at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the track listed as “sloppy” for the featured pacing races and an unusual-for-Philly pro-closer bias being very prevalent.

EVERLASTING STING DEO REPLAY

The Perfect Sting gelding Everlast Sting Deo had come his third quarter raw in 25.3 the week before in finishing second, enough to get him bet down to 2-1 against 2-5 chalk Toast Of The Town, dropping from Tompkins/Adios company, in the $14,000 feature for developing horses. Driver Mark Herschberger, perhaps encouraged by the raw speed the sometimes-fractious sophomore had shown in his previous start, went to a different page in the playbook and moved Everlast Sting Deo to the top past a :27.4 quarter, then stole the half in :57.4.

That speed tactic worked – barely – as Toast Of The Town came his own last half in :53.4 first-over to steadily narrow in on the leader, but Everlast Sting Deo held a neck advantage at the wire in a 1:52.2 mile over a track far off its peak speed capacity. The swift sophomore is trained by Travis Alexander for Morrison Racing Stable.

Both of the winners in the fast-class features did come from the usually-hard-to-conquer two-wide route to score. The three-year-old Watch Em Win, talking on older horses (he got in the $13,000 top fast-class pace because of an “NW 11 races” AE), spotted fifth for driver Jack Pelling, then was in the flow third-over. The sophomore then stepped home in :54.3 to edge favored Lou’s Starr by a neck in a 1:51.2 mile, with the first five finishers all within a length at the wire. Ron Burke trains the Delaware star, 11-for-21 in his career, for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and Phil Collura.

Favored Captain Crusader A had an even harder row to hoe in the $11,500 fast-class pacing subfeature, being 5¾ lengths behind at the half, but he came on a resolute grind, going his back half in :53.4 to  defeat Better Not Talk by a half length in 1:52.1 for driver Simon Allard, trainer Enrico Robinson, and Pollack Racing LLC.

Allard was the only horseman to have three victories on the card, and Robinson was the only trainer to have multiple wins, both with Allard. Double driving wins were also notched by George Napolitano Jr. and Jack Pelling.

“Trottin’ Thursday” will be the next card at Harrah’s Philly at its usual 12:25 p.m. post, with featured races for the top veterans, the developmental group, and one two-year-old trot for each sex. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia