Harrah's Philadelphia: Donttellmeagain wins first qualifier of 2019

Donttellmeagain, the last horse to have won a race against 2018 Harness Horse of the Year McWicked (at Dayton in late September), came out sharp in his 2019 bow at Harrah’s Philadelphia in a Tuesday morning qualifier, coming his own back half in 53 4/5 to trip the timer in 1:52 2/5.

Tim Tetrick was behind the Jim King Jr. trainee, and the pair got away fifth from the outside seven post, then moved with a backstretch flow and retucked third as Sicily brushed to the lead. Donttellmeagain moved out again in the stretch, but the $500,000+-winning Sicily proved hard to overhaul, but overhauled he finally was by the 5-year-old Dragon Again gelding, a neck to the good for Paton Racing Stables Inc.

Among the 3-year-olds who qualified impressively were:

The McArdle filly Queen Of The Pride, who won her Ohio Sire Stakes Championship last season, coming home in 27 4/5 to post a 1:52 4/5 victory for driver David Miller and trainer Kevin Lare;

Practical Cat, a Muscle Hill $230,000 yearling, who won handily in 1:55 2/5 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Per Engblom;

And Pennsylvania Sire Stakes misses Philly Hanover and Rockn Philly, with the former edging the latter by a half-length in 1:56 3/5 for driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Ron Coyne Jr.

-edited release (PHHA/Pocono)