Harrah's Philadelphia: 2026 opening day card set for Friday

The 2026 harness racing season begins at Harrah’s Philadelphia this Friday afternoon (April 10) with a first post of 12:25 p.m. (EDT), and the fields for the inaugural racing card of the year were put together on Tuesday (April 7).

Featured on the Friday card will be a pair of $12,000 contests for developing younger horses. The ninth race trot will match a pair of Pennsylvania Stallion Series winners as they both make their 3-year-old debut: Bayside Cue, who was the Stallion Series Championship for males, and Just Teasing, a filly who was triumphant in StS company. The fourteenth race pace for distaffs matches With The Fur, absent from the races since winning a Liberty Bell Stake in September, with Twin B Cardi B, coming off two straight wins at Dover.

After the opener, Harrah’s Philly will follow a basic schedule of Thursday and Friday racing at 12:25 and Sunday action at 12:40. There will be an exception for a live card on Saturday, May 2, Kentucky Derby Day, at 12:40; the previous Thursday (April 30) will be dark.

There was also another round of qualifiers at Philly Tuesday morning, with driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Ron Burke combining for wins with three 4-year-olds sired by Papi Rob Hanover: the mare Champagne Room (1:53), TH Colby (1:54 4/5), and Papi’s Rocket (1:55 2/5). Fastest mile of the day honors went to Odds On Wildfire and trainer/driver Geovany Hernandez, who won in 1:52 1/5 by a half-length over Fallout.

The fastest trot went to Herodotus, ready for a 1:57 mile after almost a year away from the races, but sharp for five-time defending Philly driving leader Tim Tetrick. Driver Todd McCarthy and trainer Ron Coyne Jr. combined on a pair of sophomore trotting winners, Fineline Hanover (1:57 1/5) and Southwind Alamo (1:59 3/5).

Tuesday’s qualifiers can be seen at www.phha.org; free

-edited release (Philadelphia/PHHA)