Tony Morgan just shy of 17,000th win

CHESTER, PA – The Guccio mare Skyway Bebop has now won four of five starts since hooking up with harness racing trainer Tim Crissman after capturing the $15,300 featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia Thursday.

Driver Tony Morgan, who has guided the winner in all of her Crissman starts and who himself is only five wins shy of the 17,000-victory milestone, settled Skyway Bebop in midpack on the first turn then followed the cover of Big Bad Swan as Lasix-adding Tequila N Roses cut fractions of :27.2, :57.2, and 1:25.2.

Morgan and his mare tipped three-wide midturn and trotted strongly to the line to defeat the pacesetter by a length in 1:55 for owner Niss Allen Inc.

SKYWAY BEBOP REPLAY

The $13,000 fast-class trot was won by the favorite Eye Ofa Tiger AS in 1:55.2, as the Chapter Seven gelding boosted his lifetime bankroll to $763,637.

Tim Tetrick and the chalk tucked early and then was locked in by lively outer movement, but Tetrick coolly waited for the inside to open and then his trotter shot through, getting past pacesetting second choice Miss McKee by two lengths for trainer Anette Lorentzon and owners ACL Stuteri AB and Kjell Johansson.

EYE OFA TIGER AS REPLAY

Investors in a 1-2-8-6-5 Super Hi 5 ticket got their share of an $8,387.20 payoff for a $2 wager in the third race, even with the odds-on favorite Fashion On A Star in the top spot. There was a carryover of $13,746.79 from the previous unsolved Super Hi 5, and with a $30,000 pool guaranteed by the USTA Strategic Wagering program, some $43,000 in “fresh money” came in trying to be part of the rich payday.

Friday’s racing at Philly, starting at 12:25, will be headlined by a $16,200 pace for the fast-class set, with Groovy Joe tabbed as the early choice upon shipping in from Yonkers. Program pages for the Friday card are available at www.phha.org/harrahspps.html. There will NOT be live racing at Harrah’s Philly on Sunday in commemoration of Easter.

For full race results, click here.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia