Youngster in Harrah’s spotlight

CHESTER, PA – The three pacing winners of the four $12,600 featured harness racing events on Wednesday at Harrah’s Philadelphia all took lifetime marks in their events designed for up-and-coming horses.

Fastest winner was the Sweet Lou sophomore gelding Tapped Teen, who won by seven lengths in 1:51.2 in one of the two splits for male pacers.

Favored Comanche Creek broke before the start, but as powerful a performance as Tapped Teen gave, the former may not have been able to contend in any instance, as Todd McCarthy moved “Teen” to the lead past the quarter then rolled him home in :55.2.

Trainer/owner Aaron Lambert had the three-year-old in peak form coming off of a scratch and a break before that.

TAPPED TEEN REPLAY

The other three features needed the photo finish camera to deliver a clear verdict. The other pace for males went to the Panther Hanover gelding Moonlight Shadow, who put up big numbers of :26.3, :55, and 1:22, then was kept alive in the drive by Simon Allard to withstand the late charge of favored Copper Teen by a neck.

Moonlight Shadow became tangled up with a foe last time and did not finish, but here he avoided all trouble for owner/trainer Joe Karrat.

MOONLIGHT SHADOW REPLAY

Driver Joe Bongiorno took advantage of a second opportunity in winning with the Sweet Lou filly Briar in the headliner for distaffs.

Bongiorno initially sat in third at the half as the outer tier formed, but when the first-over broke down the back Briar was out and scurrying forward, first putting away pacesetter Natchez Belle, then withstanding inside closer Lyons Softassilk, with the final margin a head in the 1:53.2 – :55.2 mile.

Ron Coyne Jr. conditions the winning sophomore, successful the last time she raced at this level, for his Ron Coyne Stables Inc. along with Blair Corbeil, Mike McAllister, and Edward Pachuta.

BRIAR REPLAY

Only the trotting feature did not yield a lifetime best, but it yielded an impressive effort nonetheless from the Cantab Hall mare Billie Claire in 1:55.

Front-end tactics again proved successful for driver Simon Allard here, with favored Sweet Bouquets coming to level terms in midstretch, only to see Billie Claire resurge to win by a neck for trainer Jonas Czernyson and the partnership of Consus Racing Stable Inc. and Inev Stable Inc, who were glad to see the mare mind her manners after some recent deportment issues.

BILLIE CLAIRE REPLAY

“Trottin’ Thursday” at Harrah’s Philadelphia will feature two $14,400 divisions of the “nw 5 races” class along with a $13,000 contest for the fast-class older set.

For full race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia