Even though the calendar said November 1, there were still a pair of 1:49 2/5 miles in two $30,000 divisions of the Liberty Bell Stake for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Sunday afternoon over Harrah's Philadelphia's five-eighths-mile oval.
Minoan and Oversear were the winners of the two $30,000 sections of the Liberty Bell stake for 3-year-old trotting males on Friday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, and both stopped the timer in 1:53 1/5 on their way to victory.
The Liberty Bell Stakes Series, designed to give talented Pennsylvania-sired horses a final seasonal chance at a nice payday, began on Thursday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia. There was an event for 2-year-old males on both gaits, and both freshmen winners, in addition to the winner of the top handicap trot for overnight horses, continued recent strings of successes on Thursday.
:quality(75))
Harrah's celebrated its 20th anniversary of harness racing on the banks of the Delaware River in southeast Pennsylvania with a special Saturday night card, 20 years to the week of its first-ever program and 58 years to the week of the inaugural staging of the Colonial Trot at Liberty Bell Park on the northeast side of Philadelphia. (That first edition of the stake for 3-year-olds was won by Nevele Pride on the evening after the day card at Freehold yielded the sport's first millionaire, Cardigan Bay, both, of course, handled by the immortal Stanley Dancer).
:quality(75))
$1,400,000 in purses were offered on Sunday afternoon as Harrah's Philadelphia hosted the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for 3-year-olds, with four $300,000 finales for each gait/sex combination, and $50,000 consolations for each group as well.
The time to distribute over $3 million to the best Pennsylvania-sired youngsters, by age, sex, and gait, will come this week after the last of the preliminary rounds, the fourth and final leg for 3-year-old male trotters, raced in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition on Sunday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, which will host the 3-year-old Sire Stakes Championships and consolations next Sunday, September 6. Stakes purses on the afternoon totaled $138,604.
Five years ago to the week, trotter Captain Corey and horseman Ake Svanstedt teamed to win the Earl Beal Trot up the road from Harrah's Philadelphia at Pocono Downs. Five years on and the pair are stlll teaming for winner's circle visits, as now-sire Captain Corey and trainer-driver Svanstedt combined to win the two divisions of the fourth and final preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-old male trotters on Sunday at Philly, which offered $170,842 between the two PaSS divisions and three sections of the PA Stallion Series.
:quality(75))
There is a huge gap between having a horse that is extremely fast and one that is an extremely fast racehorse. The idea that every horse that shows speed becomes a racehorse is fictional since natural ability does not always translate to racetrack success. The frustration for trainers that must deal with horses that don't just fall into line and veer off the path is too numerous. Training and racing are two quite different parts to this sport and succeeding at the first is no guarantee you will succeed at the second.
:quality(75))
Starstruck Dreamer, a 2-year-old pacing colt by Hall of Famer Captaintreacherous and out of double O'Brien award-winner Scarlett Hanover, became the fastest freshman on a five-eighths-mile track in the sport's history when he won the single $129,892 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah's Philadelphia on Friday afternoon in 1:48 4/5.
The 2-year-old pacing filly JK Lady Liberty, by Captain Crunch and out of 2014 Horse of the Year JK She'salady, became the only two-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner in her section during Sunday's third preliminary round for the state-sired horses at Harrah's Philadelphia.
Even though the calendar said November 1, there were still a pair of 1:49 2/5 miles in two $30,000 divisions of the Liberty Bell Stake for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers on Sunday afternoon over Harrah's Philadelphia's five-eighths-mile oval.
Minoan and Oversear were the winners of the two $30,000 sections of the Liberty Bell stake for 3-year-old trotting males on Friday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, and both stopped the timer in 1:53 1/5 on their way to victory.
The Liberty Bell Stakes Series, designed to give talented Pennsylvania-sired horses a final seasonal chance at a nice payday, began on Thursday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia. There was an event for 2-year-old males on both gaits, and both freshmen winners, in addition to the winner of the top handicap trot for overnight horses, continued recent strings of successes on Thursday.
Harrah's celebrated its 20th anniversary of harness racing on the banks of the Delaware River in southeast Pennsylvania with a special Saturday night card, 20 years to the week of its first-ever program and 58 years to the week of the inaugural staging of the Colonial Trot at Liberty Bell Park on the northeast side of Philadelphia. (That first edition of the stake for 3-year-olds was won by Nevele Pride on the evening after the day card at Freehold yielded the sport's first millionaire, Cardigan Bay, both, of course, handled by the immortal Stanley Dancer).
$1,400,000 in purses were offered on Sunday afternoon as Harrah's Philadelphia hosted the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championships for 3-year-olds, with four $300,000 finales for each gait/sex combination, and $50,000 consolations for each group as well.
The time to distribute over $3 million to the best Pennsylvania-sired youngsters, by age, sex, and gait, will come this week after the last of the preliminary rounds, the fourth and final leg for 3-year-old male trotters, raced in Sire Stakes and Stallion Series competition on Sunday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, which will host the 3-year-old Sire Stakes Championships and consolations next Sunday, September 6. Stakes purses on the afternoon totaled $138,604.
Five years ago to the week, trotter Captain Corey and horseman Ake Svanstedt teamed to win the Earl Beal Trot up the road from Harrah's Philadelphia at Pocono Downs. Five years on and the pair are stlll teaming for winner's circle visits, as now-sire Captain Corey and trainer-driver Svanstedt combined to win the two divisions of the fourth and final preliminary leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 2-year-old male trotters on Sunday at Philly, which offered $170,842 between the two PaSS divisions and three sections of the PA Stallion Series.
There is a huge gap between having a horse that is extremely fast and one that is an extremely fast racehorse. The idea that every horse that shows speed becomes a racehorse is fictional since natural ability does not always translate to racetrack success. The frustration for trainers that must deal with horses that don't just fall into line and veer off the path is too numerous. Training and racing are two quite different parts to this sport and succeeding at the first is no guarantee you will succeed at the second.
Starstruck Dreamer, a 2-year-old pacing colt by Hall of Famer Captaintreacherous and out of double O'Brien award-winner Scarlett Hanover, became the fastest freshman on a five-eighths-mile track in the sport's history when he won the single $129,892 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at Harrah's Philadelphia on Friday afternoon in 1:48 4/5.
The 2-year-old pacing filly JK Lady Liberty, by Captain Crunch and out of 2014 Horse of the Year JK She'salady, became the only two-time Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner in her section during Sunday's third preliminary round for the state-sired horses at Harrah's Philadelphia.
