Two-year-olds hit the track at Philly

CHESTER PA – As a sure sign that summer is just around the corner, the season’s first harness racing two-year-olds made the racetrack during Tuesday morning’s qualifying session at Harrah’s Philadelphia: a pair of two-year-old pacing fillies getting their first charted lines.

In a race won by the sophomore Ragin Lacey (Lazarus N) in 1:58.1, Areta finished second and Twin B Msamericana was fourth. Areta, who was race-timed in 1:59.1, is sired by More The Bettor N, a son of Bettor’s Delight who is based in Maryland, while Twin B Msamericana is a daughter of American Ideal out of Avia Hanover, a three-quarter sister to the $2 million+-winning Allywag Hanover.

Two-year-olds are also slated for action at The Meadows today (Tuesday) and Pocono tomorrow (Wednesday) , as trainers want to have their precocious babies ready for the stakes season in Pennsylvania, which begins at the fairs on June 25 at Butler, and at the pari-mutuels on July 2 at The Meadows.

Winners of other qualifiers at Philly Tuesday include:

• French Wine, a son of Bar Hopping who was second, beaten a neck, in the Hambletonian Maturity in his last start, here winning a third qualifier on the comeback trail in 1:55 — :56.1 for Team Orange Crush;

• Faze,  a daughter of Sweet Lou  who was a winner of her Matron stake and took a 1:51 mark at two, winning in 1:55.3 first-over, her own back fractions :54.4 — :27 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Brett Pelling;

• Tahuya Devil (American Ideal), one of the few horses “ over east” who was bred in the state of Washington, coming to the Right Coast from Fraser Downs with 13 wins in 19 career starts, and succeeding in 1:53.4, with Tetrick aboard for trainer Andrew Harris.

The Philly qualifiers are or will soon be available for viewing at www.phha.org.

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

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia