New mark for $260,000 yearling purchase

CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill gelding Little Expensive, a $260,000 yearling, now has harness racing career earnings within $84 of that price after he captured the $14,000 fast-class trotting feature on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in a career best 1:51.4.

LITTLE EXPENSIVE REPLAY

Little Expensive, who has now won four of his last five races, and driver Tyler Miller had no thought but going for the lead, with race favorite Resolve To Win stretching the winner a bit before yielding mid-first turn. Fractions of :27, :55.3, and 1:23.3 went up on the board with none of the other opposition really threatening, and then Resolve To Win moved outside to take his best shot, but the winner, owned by Andy Miller Stable Inc., Jean Goehlen, and VIP Internet Stable, withstood the chalk’s grind by  a half length.           .

Little Expensive was trainer Julie Miller’s second win of the day, and the name of the feature winner would have been appropriate to her other winner as well – the Papi Rob Hanover filly Supermax Contract, a $350,000 yearling buy, who was driven by Andy Miller to her initial win in 1:53.

Heavy favorite Usain Hanover made a brush to the lead nearing the half in the $13,000 co-featured trot, then tried to lose his field with a :26.4 third quarter. But the Shake It Off Lindy gelding Chipper Dale, star of the Maine program at two and three, refused to be shaken off, and he closed resolutely down the center of the track to catch the tiring chalk in 1:53.3.

Now 25-for-41 in his career with earnings of $315,403, Chipper Dale was driven to the win by Andrew McCarthy for trainer Per Engblom and the ownership of Evans Nation, Jeff Fought Racing, and Brian Carsey, who purchased the horse within a week of his Maine stakes schedule ending.

Honors for the day went to Andrew’s brother Todd McCarthy, who had three wins, one more than Andrew, George Napolitano Jr., and Tim Tetrick. Julie Miller, as noted, trained two winners – the only conditioner who doubled.

Racing continues at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday at 12:25 and on Sunday at 12:40; Friday’s card will feature a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 wagering pool. 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