Harrah's Philadelphia: Simpson Memorials in the books for 2022

Master Swedish horseman Ake Svanstedt is the trainer of the powerhouse sophomore trotting filly Jiggy Jog S, winner of her Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park Saturday evening. For an encore on Sunday afternoon, he came to Harrah's Philadelphia and both trained and drove the two divisional winners of the $90,400 Elma, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for the same age, sex, and gait as Jiggy Jog S.

The first winner, the Father Patrick filly Virgin Mary S, was expected to win and did so, with Svanstedt guiding her into the pocket behind pace-setter Unleashed Kemp and fractions of 28 4/5, 58, and 1:26 3/5, then rallying with her up the inside to catch the pace-setter by a half length to equal her lifetime mark of 1:54 4/5. The winner is owned by Brochart Stable Inc.

The Svanstedt sweep concluded with 19-1 shot Ebbies Lady, who pulled from the pocket after the 27 second quarter to take control in front of the stands. She put up mid-splits of 56 3/5 and 1:24 4/5 while turning away first-over favorite Dreamonhigh, then held off the late-charging Palermo Hanover by a nose, with early leader Primadonna Deo just a head away from taking it all in the 1:54 mile, which yielded a new mark to the daughter of Southwind Frank. Ake Svanstedt Inc. shares ownership with Young Guns.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

There were also two divisions of the $85,200 Hardie Hanover for 3-year-old pacing fillies as the Simpson Memorial series wound up its 2022 stay at Philly. In the first division, Todd McCarthy sent the American Ideal filly Gotthegreenlight through quick fractions of 26 3/5, 55, and 1:22, seeing first-up favorite Captain Cowgirl back off after the latter station, and then open up enough of a lead to withstand the late charge of Valar Dohaeris (yet another Svanstedt, and on the pace no less) by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:51 1/5. Gotthegreenlight raised her lifetime earnings to $513,997 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables LLC.

In the second Hardie Hanover cut, sire American Ideal completed a sweep as A Girl That Twirls lowered her mark to 1:50 4/5. Matt Kakaley sat third while Lyons Serenity posted the early splits of 26 4/5 and 55 1/5, moved uncovered down the backstretch to go by near the 1:23 three-quarters, and then turned the stake into a romp with a 7 1/2 length winning margin for trainer Deborah Daguet and D Racing Stable Inc. A Girl That Twirls now has lifetime earnings of $296,748.

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