Harrah's Philadelphia: Tony Morgan reaches 17,000 career wins

Driver Tony Morgan, second on the all-time North American list of winningest drivers, achieved the 17,000th victory of his sulky career in the first race at Harrah's Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.

Driving 14-1 shot Commander Hill, Morgan got his horse away third, stayed inside, then got room up the inside as Ain't It Fun vacated the two-hole headstretch to challenge and then pass leading Northern Baccarat. The race boiled down to Ain't It Fun and Commander Hill, and Morgan's horse appeared to have a slight advantage when Ain't It Fun went offstride just before the wire, aiding his chances and allowing for the milestone moment.

Morgan was the leading driver on the Chicago circuit for many years before coming over to the mid-Atlantic region, first in Delaware, when slot-helped purses brought winnings to new overnight highs. Morgan has led North America four times in victories, in the 1995-1997 period and then again in 2006, when he recorded 1,004 visits to "Victory Lane". In doing so, he became one of only four North Americans to win that often in a season, the others being Walter Case Jr., Aaron Merriman, and Tim Tetrick, a Chicago competitor who made the migration eastward at approximately the same time Morgan did.

The 63-year-old Morgan achieved his 17,000th win in his 84,890th drive, giving him a win percentage just over 20% in a career that started in 1974. Morgan-driven horses have earned in excess of $139 million over the years.

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Dave Palone is the all-time leader with 19,924 driving successes. So Pennsylvania has the two winningest drivers at the opposite ends of the state, as Palone has dominated the colony at The Meadows for several decades now.

-edited release (PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)