Harrah's Philadelphia: De Los Cielos Deo leads Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winners

De Los Cielos Deo ($2.20) remained undefeated with a 1:51 victory on Sunday (Aug. 5) at Harrah's Philadelphia, brushing from third with a circuit to go and holding his ground handily in the second of four Pennsylvania Sire Stakes events for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

After yielding to Captain Victorious (Marcus Miller) and Odds On Boca Raton (Scott Zeron) on the first turn, Yannick Gingras brushed from third with the son of Captaintreacherous and Lisjune just beyond a 27 3/5 first-quarter sectional and continued on to rate a 56 2/5 half. Up the backstretch, Odds On Boca Raton re-emerged and forced the pace to quicken once again, but De Los Cielos Deo held his ground to a 1:23 4/5 three-quarters split.

While Odds On Boca Raton kept grinding away, reaching the leader's neck upon cornering for home, De Los Cielos Deo remained steadfast to the winning post, prevailing by 1-1/4 lengths while under a Gingras hand drive. Odds On Boca Raton held second, half a length better than pocket foe Captain Victorious.

De Los Cielos Deo earned his fourth career win in as many starts for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Larry Karr, J&T Silva-Purnell & Libby and Weaver Bruscemi. His 1:51 3/5 mile equaled his lifetime mark established at The Meadows in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event there in July. The winner's share of the $47,828 purse lifted De Los Cielos Deo's career earnings to $82,039.

In the $47,828 third division, Love Me Some Lou ($12.00) used second-over cover to nose out Semi Tough en route to a 1:50 4/5 victory, just one-fifth of a second shy of Rock N Roll Heaven's track record for juvenile pacing colts. Corey Callahan drove the son of Sweet Lou and Shark Lightning for owner John Cancelliere and trainer Tom Cancelliere.

The $48,228 first division saw Brian Brown trainee Proof ($6.00) push clear early and parry a first-over challenge from Ehrmantrout to lower his lifetime mark to 1:51 3/5. Driver Scott Zeron carried the colors of Diamond Creek Racing behind the son of A Rocknroll Dance and Ginger And Fred who now has won three of his four races to date.

Tim Tetrick homebred Crimson And Chrome ($9.40) upended odds-on favorite Sugar Factory in the $47,828 final division, recording a new lifetime mark of 1:51 4/5. Tetrick drove the Jim King Jr.-trained Sweet Lou-McSauna gelding.

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