Harrah’s Philadelphia: Stakes-filled card on tap Sunday

Driver Jason Bartlett hopes Racine Bell will get her act straight, literally, in time for Sunday's $100,000 Betsy Ross Invitational pace at Harrah's Philadelphia. The Ross, along with the $100,000 Commodore Barry, $100,000 Maxie Lee and the first leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program for 3-year-old fillies, featuring the sophomore debut of Niki Hill, highlight an extraordinary 15-race program.

"She's been bearing out on me," said Bartlett of Racine Bell. "She did it in the final of the Blue Chip Matchmaker, and I think she would have won if not for that."

Racine Bell landed the pole position in Sunday's Betsy Ross and faces a solid field of eight, including Matchmaker champion Drama Act, as well as an international collection of elite talent.

"I'm hoping some equipment changes will make the difference," said Bartlett while on his way to Buffalo Wednesday, where he captured a pair of New York Sire Stakes for sophomore pacing fillies. "As for the post position, it's great, but she's got such explosive speed it really wouldn't matter."

Already with $212k on her card this season, Racine Bell meets a talented field with Drama Act (post two), Amazing Dream N (post three), and the 1:49 winner from last week's Meadowlands Open event, Watch Me Now N (post eight), in the field.

"I was hoping that she would get a cover trip last week," said Linda Toscano, who trains Amazing Dream N. "Still, she raced very well and held her own in a 26 last quarter."

For Toscano, the arrival of Amazing Dream N, who has won two of her three starts in North America after a career earning $1 million Down Under, has worked out fabulously well thus far.

"It's been great. Since there was no change in ownership, I was able to talk to the horsemen who took care of her down there. They've helped in getting her acclimated," Toscano said. "She was at a point where she was racing against the boys a lot."

Amazing Dream N, a 6-year-old by Bettor's Delight, will be driven by Todd McCarthy.

Toscano believes American Dealer N (post three) will give it his all in the Commodore Barry, carded as race 13.

"He's just a sweetheart," Toscano said. "He's a little guy but has a big stride and always tries."

American Dealer N competed in the MGM Borgata Pacing Series at Yonkers, then returned to the Meadowlands where he was a solid second against Open company on May 14, bettered only by Ignatius A in a 1:48 3/5 mile.

While Ignatius A landed post eight for the Commodore Barry, fellow import Nandolo N drew post four and Bartlett, his regular pilot, is hoping things start trending in a positive way for the gutty Shane Tritton-trained veteran.

"He got a little sick towards the end of the Borgata Series," Bartlett said. "It was a good thing they didn't race him in the final preliminary, but I could tell the way he raced in the final he was still not 100 percent healthy."

Nandolo N took four weeks off and then returned at the Meadowlands last week where the race didn't go exactly as planned.

"I tried to float out of there for a spot, but it didn't work out, and he got parked," said Bartlett of the trip that took place on May 21, the same race where Nicholas Beach scored the fastest mile of the year in 1:47.

Speaking of Nicholas Beach, last year's Commodore Barry winner looks to be in a great spot to repeat the performance on Sunday for Team Bongiorno. The 6-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere drew post two after a vicious wire-to-wire effort produced a new lifetime mark at the Meadowlands. A winner in three of his last four starts, Nicholas Beach starts outside Workin Ona Mystery, the only horse with a victory over him in the last month.

Trainer Ron Burke appears to have finally gotten Workin Ona Mystery on the right track, as the Captaintreacherous-sired veteran seems to have his speed and confidence back. In 2021 Workin Ona Mystery won just once in 15 tries but already in 2022 has three wins to his credit. Tim Tetrick drives Workin Ona Mystery from the pole position.

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While Back Of The Neck turned down his invitation to race in the Elitloppet this weekend, his connections elected to race close to home in the $100,000 Maxie Lee Invitational trot. Back Of The Neck landed post three in a field of eight going as race 12 on the card. A 5-year-old son of Ready Cash, Back Of The Neck picks up Scott Zeron in the bike. When the pair were last together, Back of The Neck finished a fast-closing second in the Breeders Crown, overcoming post 10 in October at the Meadowlands.

Amigo Volo, one of two horses that competed in the 2021 Maxie Lee and finished behind Manchego, returns for trainer Nifty Norman after a four-month break from the action. Amigo Volo qualified here (Harrah's Philadelphia) on Tuesday with a solid 1:53 4/5 mile for driver Dexter Dunn, who will be in the bike Sunday from post five.

Lovedbythemasses (post seven) is the other veteran returning for the Lee and perhaps this year will be different. Already a winner six times in eight starts in 2022, Lovedbythemasses trotted his mile in 1:49 4/5 last week, but that was only good for a fourth-place finish to Ecurie D in the Cutler Memorial.

A mare won the Lee last year, and if there's going to be a repeat on that front, it will have to come in the form of When Dovescry, the lone mare in the group. When Dovescry not only needs to beat the boys, but she must overcome the draw as well, having landed post eight. Despite the obvious adversity, When Dovescry was a fast-closing sixth, trotting her final quarter in 26 seconds in the Cutler, and may be primed for a big mile.

In addition to Niki Hill's seasonal debut, the other Pennsylvania Sire Stakes event figures to be hotly contested, with the Tony Alagna-trained pair of Don't Fence Me In (post one) and Queen Of Success (post five) surrounding this year's fastest 3-year-old pacing filly Treacherous Dragon (post four) in the eighth race first $68,116 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes.

First post is listed for 12:40 p.m. on Sunday's stakes extravaganza.