Son of Muscle Hill breaks track record

CHESTER PA – On a Friday when it looked like the fast-class older set would be grabbing the headlines at Harrah’s Philadelphia, up pops a maiden two-year-old altered trotting son of Muscle Hill – Decadence named My Degenerate, who scorched the 5/8-miler oval in 1:53.1, breaking the divisional track record and just missing the divisional harness racing world standard.

My Degenerate had broken in two of his last three starts in the Massachusetts program (fortunately he straightened out to grab second in the $160,000 championship); today he was all business, racing out to the lead and forcing tucks in a :28 opener, then getting a slight breather to the half in :57.3 before turning on the jets and reaching the three-quarters in 1:25.1 en route to a devastating 13 1/2 length victory.

MY DEGENERATE REPLAY

All three divisional records for trotting freshmen have now been rewritten at Philly this year; My Degenerate’s 1:53.1 reduced Real Cool Sam’s 2019 mark by three-fifths of a second. And it was five years and a day ago, at Dover, when Amigo Volo produced the 1:52.4 world record My Degenerate just missed.

The talented youngster is trained by Julie Miller and was driven by her husband Andy for Knutsson Trotting Inc., Lindy Farms Of Connecticut, Preferred Equine Marketing Inc., and Andy Miller Stable Inc.

In the $14,000 fast-class event on the trot, another Miller – David – had the winning drive, but his 1:52.3 victory with the Donato Hanover gelding Donato Patriot K was far from the swashbuckling front-end effort of the two-year-old featuring earlier. Miller kept Donato Patriot K on the rail, kept advancing as foes moved two-wide to challenge, then continued along the pegs in the stretch and won by a neck over favored Chake, the only mare in the field. The winner equaled his lifetime best for trainer Joe Bongiorno and Ely Stable.

DONATO PATRIOT K REPLAY

The top-purse pace saw the Bettor’s Delight gelding Mac’s Delight use strong come-from-behind tactics as he frequently has in the past, moving first-over late down the backstretch, going on to the advantage in the lane, then warding off Agedcheddar Hanover by  a neck in 1:50.2.  Andrew McCarthy drove the gritty winner for Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner-brother John; they also took the fast-class pace at Dover the day before on the Matron card with Maximus Miki.

MAC’S DELIGHT REPLAY

A $13.000 pace for proven distaffs went to the Somebeachsomewhere mare Uptown Hanover in 1:51.2. Tim Tetrick quarter-moved with the winner of $574,788 and was in control to the wire, taking her second straight for trainer Jeff Cullipher and Pollack Racing LLC.

There was also a $13,500 event for fillies and mares on the way to the upper ranks. They battled through the stretch six across, with the Captaintreacherous sophomore filly Darlin’s Dream overcoming a first-over journey to prove most photogenic in 1:53.3. David Miller kept his filly digging to the line and they won for trainer Juan Cano and Hot Lead Farm.

Fastest mile of the day was the 1:49.4 outing turned in by the All Bets Off gelding Moment Is Here for driver Corey Callahan, trainer Ron Burke, and the partnership of Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Frank Baldachino, and Lombardo / Green Racing.

Tim Tetrick added to his lead atop the local driving win stats by visiting Victory Lane four times.

The racing week closes on Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with the 12:40 card featuring a $13,500 handicap pace that figures to see Calicojack Hanover go off as the public’s standardbearer.

Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.phha.org.

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

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia