Harrah's Philadelphia: Seven Colors takes on It's My Show in Sire Stakes showdown

Battle lines were drawn on Wednesday afternoon and four $252,000 championships of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for 3-year-olds of both gaits and sexes will be the focus of action at Harrah's Philadelphia on Sunday (9-3). Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the four pits It's My Show, the North America Cup champion with eight wins in 10 starts this year, against Seven Colors, a recent world champion and multiple track record holder returning to Philadelphia for the first time since his 1:48 1/5 score over the five-eighths-mile surface on May 28.

The final for 3-year-old colt and gelding pacers will be race nine on the 15-race program on Sunday afternoon, and the draw shook out favorably for It's My Show after the altered son of Sweet Lou landed the pole position for trainer Linda Toscano and driver Scott Zeron. A winner in 1:46 4/5 on August 14 at The Red Mile, It's My Show hopes to add to his $560K seasonal bankroll and appears to be perfectly situated.

Seven Colors was purchased by trainer Andrew Harris and his ownership team following a second-place finish in the Cane Pace at the Meadowlands on August 5.

"I called Brian [Brown] after the Cane and asked him if the owners would be interested in selling him," said Harris, recalling the acquisition. "We're always looking for horses that can win the big ones and at the time we looked at him as definitely a top-five horse. You had Confederate, It's My Show and Cannibal, and he fit with that group."

According to Harris, the sum paid for Seven Colors was the most he has ever paid for a racehorse, but the results so far have been more than encouraging. Seven Colors captured the $300,000 Milstein at Northfield Park in a world-record 1:48 1/5 clocking and then followed that up on August 25 with a sparkling 1:48 2/5 effort, setting a stakes mark at The Meadows in the process.

"The Northfield time didn't surprise me," said Harris, "Because that track is really fast. The race at The Meadows was even more impressive to me. The best thing about this colt is that he can come first-over and never seems to get tired."

Dexter Dunn has driven Seven Colors in his last three outings and all have been first-over grinds, including the effort in the Cane Pace where Confederate out-kicked him.

"If you watch that race you know that he did all of the work," said Harris about the trip that also saw Confederate follow the live cover and out-sprint him in the homestretch.

Win or lose on Sunday, Harris is looking ahead to the Little Brown Jug with the Stay Hungry colt that clearly can handle a half-mile track.

"The fact that he's trained over that track for much of his career [with Brian Brown] gives me plenty of confidence," said Harris.

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The first $252,000 final will be race three with sophomore filly trotters in action. With Bond not eligible to the final, it appears the best horses drew outside, with Railee Something (post six), Hambletonian Oaks elimination winner Heart On Fire (post seven) and Hambletonian Oaks champion Heaven Hanover (post eight) making up the far right side of the starting gate.

Trainer Marcus Melander is hoping that Heaven Hanover bounces back after a head defeat in the Delmonica Hanover at Pocono on August 19.

"Everything seemed fine after the Delmonica," said Melander. "Maybe the front isn't the best place for her and racing from behind is a better style."

Trainer Ron Burke had favored Railee Something in the Hambletonian Oaks, and the filly cut a wicked pace before fading in the homestretch.

"The Hambo Oaks took a lot out of her," said Burke. "The front-end wasn't good and she got loose on the lead."

A Sire Stakes winner over this surface on July 9, Yannick Gingras will guide the daughter of International Moni.

French Wine, now the fastest sophomore in North America following his 1:50 victory over Hambletonian champion Tactical Approach at The Red Mile on August 27, returns to the site of his only other win this season for trainer Julie Miller in the $252,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stake Championship for 3-year-old colt and gelding trotters. French Wine drew post four in the afternoon's sixth race.

Trainer Ake Svanstedt has a pair in the field, with Dexter Cup champion Khaosan Road (post two) joining the lightly-raced Saint Louie (post six) as a solid one-two punch. Saint Louie has not been off the board in nine starts this season but enters the Sire Stakes final having been idle since his last race on August 11.

Trainer Nancy Takter's Always B Naughty has captured four of her last five starts and landed the pole position in the $252,000 championship for 3-year-old filly pacers. Unraced as a juvenile, the daughter of Always B Miki has captured nine of 14 races this year and looks to continue her winning form from the rail in the eighth race of the day.

Always B Naughty hopes to dethrone Beach Cowgirl (post seven), last year's impressive 1:50 winner in the 2-year-old championship held over the same surface. Unbeaten in four starts as a freshman, Beach Cowgirl has won just once in seven tries as a sophomore but did put in a valiant effort in the Shady Daisy at the Meadowlands on August 5, losing to Sylvia Hanover in a photo finish.

Trainer Linda Toscano has a potent entry in this final with Odds On Hail Mary (post five) and C Is For Cookie (post eight) in the midst of outstanding sophomore seasons. Odds On Hail Mary has been finishing strongly in her most recent starts and was an exceptional fourth in the Lynch (August 19) at Pocono behind Twin B Joe Fresh.

First post is scheduled for 12:40 p.m. at Harrah's Philadelphia on Sunday.