Equipment change helps Avenir

CHESTER, PA – Avenir seems to like the recent addition of trotting hopples to her equipment card, as the sophomore filly rolled to her second straight triumph, winning the $12,600 featured harness racing trot over a Harrah’s Philadelphia oval rated “good +1” because of morning rain.

The daughter of Muscle Hill out of Chic Chick, a half-sister to millionaire Strong Yankee, was put right on the lead by driver Yannick Gingras, a four-time winner on the card, and came home in :56.3 to stop the timer in 1:54.3.

In her previous start, a division of the Continentalvictory on Hambletonian weekend, she had won in 1:53.2 for trainer Ron Burke and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Knox Services Inc., and J&T Silva- Purnel & Libby.

AVENIR REPLAY

Things didn’t look too good early for favored A Major Omen in the $11,200 fast-class pacing co-feature, sitting inside as a gapping third behind fast fractions and contenders forming what looked like a solid outer tier. But George Napolitano Jr. has won 3,887 races at Harrah’s in the track’s 15-year history, in almost every way imaginable, and he may have added another technique here – he got his pacer to close the gap, the outer tiers became clogged, and the pocketsitter moved outside on the turn, leaving the inside open for the gelded son of Art Major to close up the inside to win in 1:51.1.

A Major Omen has now won two straight for trainer Trish Adams and owner Thomas Maloney.

A MAJOR OMEN REPLAY

The $22,500 winners-over pace at Philly on Sunday has an interesting new wrinkle this week – the presence of top pacing mare Lyons Sentinel, who will take on “the boys” while starting from post five, the best position from which to begin at the riverside oval. Program pages for the 12:40 card are available by clicking here.

For full race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia