Harrah's Philadelphia: A 'Daley Double' in Thursday's Simpson Memorial

Trainer Noel Daley and driver Andrew McCarthy combined to win two of three divisions of the $104,100 Super Bowl, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for 2-year-old trotting colts on Thursday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia.

One of their winners was the Chapter Seven-Lass A Rope colt Volume Eight, who missed the divisional Philly record by only a tick with his 1:54 3/5 front-end effort. The big favorite, coming off a Lexington Grand Circuit win and four-of-six lifetime, was extended by pocket-sitter Father Stosh, but he remained a half-length to the good at the wire for the partnership of Daley, Joe Sbrocco, LA Express & JAF Racing, and Mario Mazza while just missing the standard put in by Once In A Lifetime in winning his Sire Stakes championship on September 4.

McCarthy/Daley also clicked in the Super Bowl/Simpson with Squared Away, the Cantab Hall-K Squared Hanover colt who sat in the pocket most of the way, pulled out going to the far turn, and went on to be a handy 2 3/4 length winner while reducing his mark to 1:55 3/5. Squared Away has now won three straight starts for Morrison Racing Stables.

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The other Simpson section produced a "toteboard bomber" as Met Your Request, a Met's Hall-Quest Blue Chip gelding, tailed the cover of 2-5 favorite Kimmeridgian through the last half, then went wide and just caught that rival by a neck while taking a new mark of 1:56 and paying $67.40 to win. Tyler Miller drove the three-time winner for trainer/mother Julie and the ownership of Andy Miller Stable Inc. and Mr. Caroll Huffman.

The talented veteran Crystal Fashion, second after a hard-luck journey last week, had fortune more on his side this time around, and won the $22,500 fast-class handicap trot in 1:54 1/5. Tim Tetrick sent him to command early, then let the favorite sit behind close second-choice Ghostintheshell S as that one cut the mile. The victorious Cantab Hall gelding moved out at the three-quarters and circled right to the lead, then held off a strong late bid by 26-1 shot Secret Bro to record a three-quarter length triumph, raising his earnings to $2,191,749 in winning for trainer Chuck Crissman Jr. and EVM Racing LLC.

Tetrick padded his meet-leading win total with seven visits to Victory Lane on the Thursday card.

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