Asteroid sizzles in first USA win

CHESTER, PA – Very few harness racing horses record their first North American win in 1:51.4. Certainly, very few trotters.

But most trotters don’t finish second, beaten only two lengths, to Jiggy Jog S in their first race of the current campaign.

All of the above is true of Asteroid, a six-year-old Creatine ridgling who left the field well in his wake while winning the $15,000 trotting handicap feature at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.

Tim Tetrick, given the driving duties by trainer Åke Svanstedt, had Asteroid on top just past the eighth despite starting from the outside post seven, and the pair put up fractions of :27.4, :56.4, and 1:24.2. Eurobond and Stable Genius were the outer tier that got closest to the talented winner, but a :27.2 last quarter still left them well back at the finish.

Asteroid competed Stateside at two without success, then went to Europe to race at three and four, where he won thirteen times in twenty races and earned close to six figures each year. He contested some major North American events in 2023 and did well enough to earn $52,392, but his 2024 debut and this victory which will have the hopes of owners Suleyman Yuksel Stables Inc. and Michael Falk high as many top FFA races draw near.

ASTEROID REPLAY

In the $13,000 fast-class subfeature trot, the Resolve gelding Resolve To Win pounced from the pocket, coming home in :56 to lower his lifetime mark to 1:52.4 under the guidance of Todd McCarthy. The four-year-old now has a career win percentage of 30 (12 victories in 40 starts) for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.

RESOLVE TO WIN REPLAY

Other horses of note: two sub-1:55 trotters, Toccoa Falls (1:53.4) and Eloise (1:54.4); fastest pacer of the day Chrchviewcamlot IR (1:50.2); and Beggin For Bacon, who starting the day had fourteen seconds in 26 career starts (including deuces in his last six) but no victories, finally breaking through in 1:53.1.

Andrew McCarthy and Tim Tetrick had driving triples; Ron Coyne Jr. had the only training double.

Of the six horses who previous to today have paid $50 or over to win at Harrah’s Philly this year, four of them came from races which numbered in the double digits. But the bombers struck early on Thursday, with big closing efforts: Joyces Secret returned $102.40 for a two-dollar bet, with Kongzilla paying $74.00 for $2 in only his second lifetime start.

A $12,000 handicap pace, featuring half the field coming here showing stakes lines, tops the Friday 12:25 card at Philly; on Sunday, there is a $15,000 fast-class pacing feature where the average mark of the field this year is 1:49.2, a number which could be threatened given good weather. Free Harrah’s Philadelphia programs can be found at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia