Harrah's Philadelphia: 2YO trotting fililes show talent in PA Sire Stakes

There's an old adage that "Rainy days and drunken grooms make good race horses," meaning that a horse left to her own natural ability will frequently have the best chance of success. This attitude was prevalent during the second preliminary of the Pennsylvania-sired program on Wednesday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia, as many of the 2-year-old trotting filly winners were either pointed to the top and went on to victory, or were moved first-over and went on to the triumph.

After four divisions of the day's $162,948 Sire Stakes action, Sierra's Girl was the only two-time PaSS winner after a 1:56 2/5 mile for trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt and the partnership of Ake Svanstedt Inc., Young Guns, and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing. This daughter of Bar Hopping-Chuckys Luckycharm was one of the few winners not using the two routes described above, instead sitting third on the rail and coming up nicely along the inside in the stretch to tally.

The fastest winner of any baby miss succeeding in a stake was the Fordham Road-A Little Laid Back filly Little Town Road, who dominated her field on the lead while lowering her mark to 1:55 1/5. Driver Brady Brown, having an excellent year with novice trotters in all corners of the state, sulky-sat for trainer/owner/legend Roger Hammer while running her purse record to three-for-five.

The other two PaSS divisions were taken by daughters of Father Patrick. The Moment (dam Myimpossibledream) grinded to a 1:56 1/5 maiden success for driver Tim Tetrick, trainer Lucas Wallin, and owners Al Libfeld, Marvin and Lynn Katz, and San Goldband, while Paulina Hanover (dam Personal Style) was successful from the front in her purse debut in 1:57, with Andrew McCarthy driving for trainer Noel Daley and owner Mario Mazza.

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There were seven $20,000 divisions for the Stallion Series fillies, with the only repeater in the class also being a daughter of Bar Hopping, Tequini Hanover (dam Tangent). She won in 1:57 4/5, a new mark, for the hot combo of driver Tim Tetrick and Lucas Wallin, with Wiesman Farms LLC. and Pieter Delis sharing ownership with the trainer.

There were a pair of 1:56 4/5 maiden wins tying for fastest in the Stallion Series action: from Fannie Lipkowitz (Greenshoe-Ma Was Right), another success for the Tetrick / Wallin connection and for owners Wallin and Shermay Stables, and from Norma Pearl (Father Patrick-Celebrity Obsesion), brought home by David Miller for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC., Knox Services Inc., Larry Karr, and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.

Philip Scott Sonsteby, a 26-year-old native of Norway, trained his first North American winner when he sent out the Bar Hopping-Miss Aultsville filly Chimebelle to a 1:58 3/5 victory in her first purse outing. She was driven by Andrew McCarthy for J. Mark Egloff Jr., Max J. Hempt, Philip Scott Racing Stable, and Thomas Biederman.

Nifty Norman trained the other three PaStS winners, two of them driven by Dexter Dunn: the Father Patrick-Beehive filly Magic Bee, who broke her maiden in 1:57 1/5 for owners David McDuffee and Herb Liverman, and the International Moni-Behold The Dream miss Belle Meade, a maiden no more after a 1:58 4/5 win for Paul Sunderhaus, Carter Duer, Triple Play Trotters LLC., and Enzed Racing Stable Inc. David Miller handled the other "Nifty" winner, the Bar Hopping-Snow Angel Hanover filly Sambuca Hanover, who won her purse debut in 1:58 4/5 for David McDuffee, Paul Bordogna, and Mel Hartman.

Racing will continue on Thursday at 12:25, with a $1,453.17 carryover into the Pick 5 on races five through nine; Friday's 12:25 card will have handicap paces for fast-class horses of both sexes; and Sunday's card will be topped by an Open handicap trot.

--press release (PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)--