Tetrick scores five on Trottin’ Thursday

CHESTER PA – The Muscle Hill gelding Diplomacy, who had displayed a pattern of breaking in every other start, continued that trend by following up on a miscue with a wire-to-wire harness racing victory in 1:55.3, looking more like the $425,000 yearling purchase that he was, in the $13,500 featured trot for up-and-coming horses at Harrah’s Philadelphia during the “Trottin’ Thursday” card.

DIPLOMACY REPLAY

Driver Troy Beyer guided his trotter to command nearing a :28.4 quarter, then got a breather to the half in :58.1. An increase of speed to a 1:26.4 three-quarters saw both the pocket horse and first-over jump offstride trying to go with him, and Diplomacy finished out 2¾ lengths clear of Theobald while attaining the victory for trainer Noel Daley and the ownership of Allister Stables LLC, L A Express & Sjoblom Inc., Frank Canzone, and Michael Dolan.

The track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick, arrived midcard and in seven steers posted five victories and a  second (UDR .794), including winning both $13,000 divisions of the fast-class trot.

The faster division of the fast-class diamondgaited events was won by recent import (from Italy, despite his name) Ultion Face S, who followed up on a 1:53.1 win in his U.S. bow and then a close second to the raging Antognoni S in a 1:51.4 mile here last week with a 1:52.1 in-hand victory here for Tetrick. Fractions of :28.1, :56.3, and 1:24.4 left the gelded son of Joke Face with plenty left of the tank for the stretch, and Ultion Face S, who has $357,438 on his card, looks ready to take on tougher assignments for trainer Per Engblom and the partnership of Jesper Bjorn Arvenberg and Engblom Stable LLC.

ULTION FACE S REPLAY

In the other headline race for the veteran set, Tetrick kept the Sebastian K S gelding Saint K pressing forward outside a gaggle of inside leavers, finally securing the lead at a price of :27.3, then got a breather to the half in :57.3. Favored Super Duper Cooper joined him uncovered mid-backstretch and the two battled past the 1:25.3 three quarters and all the way to the wire, with Saint K getting the decision by a neck with a 1:54.4 victory for trainer Scott DiDomenico and owners Angela Cornell and Tessie Esry.

Racing resumes at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon at 12:25 p.m., with fast-class pacing distaffs ready to battle in a $13,000 contest; there will also be a carryover into the fifth race Pick 5 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