R Lady W strong winner in the slop

CHESTER PA – R Lady W (Walner) proved to be the proverbial pocket rocket in the $13,500 feature on a sloppy and cool “Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia, drawing clear in the stretch to take a new harness racing mark of 1:54 despite the muck.

R LADY W REPLAY

Philly’s top driver Tim Tetrick quickly got the favored daughter of Walner to the lead, then yielded to second choice Islandgirl Hanover and sat behind that one through fractions of :27.3, :56.3, and 1:25.3. Tetrick gave R Lady W the “GO” command midturn and the distaff responded eagerly, taking over before headstretch and winning as she pleased for her second straight triumph. Linda Toscano trains R Lady W for lessees M&L DE/ Armitage Farm.

The $12,000 subfeature for developing trotters went to the Trixton filly Julies Trix, who was a good second in her return mile having shed hopples, and then came back Thursday to work to the lead in front of the stands and win off by herself in a lifetime best 1:55.3. Anibal Borjas had the drive for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Joseph Giaramita and Alagna Racing LLC.

JULES TRIX REPLAY

The fast-class performers had a headline race for $13,000, and they produced an exciting contest in which Maryland shipper Victor Laszlo won his third straight, this time by the narrowest of margins over 1-9 Ultion Face S in 1:55.1. Eric Davis, driving for trainer Janet Davis, co-owner with Tamara Williams, was aggressive coming with a second move uncovered down the back, with Ultion Face S, last week’s feature winner, caught in the pocket, not clearing until the winner had gone by the frontstepper at headstretch. The heavy chalk rallied strongly along the inside, but Davis kept Victor Laszlo, the 9-1 second choice, going bravely to withstand the inside thrust.

Tim Tetrick had a driving triple in what normally is a very good week for him (in the Super Sunday Invitationals he has had at least one winner in eleven of the seventeen editions); Simon Allard and Andy Miller each had two winning turns in the sulky. No trainer sent out a pair of victorious charges.

Friday’s Philly action will feature fillies and mares in most of the feature race slots, with the card slated to begin at 12:25. Then comes perhaps the best program assembled in North American harness racing so far this year, the annual Super Sunday extravaganza, which features $100,000 Invitationals for female and male pacers and trotters, plus third round action in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series. Over $600,000 will be offered in purses on the day, and the card, which has eleven career millionaires set to go, will feature free-for-all fields whose lifetime earnings collectively exceed $20 million. 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