Engblom barn dominates Christmas Eve features

CHESTER PA – Trainer Per Engblom won the top two races at Harrah’s Philadelphia during the afternoon Christmas Eve card, with the barn producing the 1-2 finishers in the $14,000 featured trot when Kewpie Doll passed Top Gun Hanover late in a 1:55.1 mile.

Top Gun Hanover made two speed moves to control the tempo, with the Googoo Gaagaa three-year-old filly Kewpie Doll content to stay in third until the pocket horse started to not keep up, and driver Johnathan Ahle pulled on the right line of his charge. Kewpie Doll methodically trotted up to the pacesetter on the far turn and much of the way in the lane, showing she had a bit more left in the tank nearing the wire to take a length decision. The winner, now victorious in three of her last four, is owned by Dreamlover AB and Engblom Stable LLC.

KEWPIE DOLL REPLAY

Trainer Engblom again teamed with driver Ahle to take the $13,500 co-feature with Kanon Laser DK, who won his North American debut by swinging wide off the far bend to just catch Flight Of Fritz by a neck in 1:57.4.

Flight Of Fritz attacked first-over, gained an advantage towards midstretch, but could not hold off the Danish-bred altered son of One Too Many, who is owned by Engblom Stable LLC and Kasper Foget.

KANON LASER DK WINNING FOR ENGBLOM REPLAY

The Walner three-year-old filly Entertain Me had hit the board in thirteen of twenty 2025 starts without victory before coming up the inside after a two-hole trip and winning the $12,000 third-level event for developing trotters. Kyle Symington drove the sophomore miss to a new race mark of 1:59 for trainer Noel Daley and Harbor Racing Stable LLC.

The $11,000 claiming handicap pace for high-priced horses wound up in a 1:53.2 dead-heat between favored The Boss Said (George Napolitano Jr.), giving him four wins in his last six starts, and The Bizzness N (Mark Herschberger), now victorious in two of his last three. The Boss Said set the pace; The Bizzness N stayed in third then moved when the outer tiers stalled, and was just up to tie the chalk. (Track announcer Mike Bozich alertly noted that the race, the second on the card, was one of only a very few instances with three Double payoffs, as there was also a consolation double on a late scratch.)

For the second year in a row Harrah’s Philadelphia had the distinction of hosting the very last Christmas Eve race in the entire world, according to the simulcasting network, though this year the card from Valparaiso, Chile (simulcast through Laurel runners) ran until five minutes before Philly’s last post.

No fewer than ten horsemen had multiple winners on the card. Drivers with three victories were Johnathan Ahle, two for trainer Per Engblom as mentioned above; Corey Callahan, for three different barns; and Mark Herschberger, who won races one, two, and fifteen, the latter two for Ron Burke. Driving doubles went to Brandon Givens (both for trainer Mark Akins), George Napolitano Jr., and Kyle Symington (both for trainer Noel Daley).

Harrah’s Philadelphia wishes everyone an enjoyable December 25. The track will return with its final three cards of the year: on Friday at 12:25; on Sunday at 12:40, with a dandy of an $18,000 Invitational trot, and then on New Year’s Eve Wednesday at 4 p.m., with all potential “carryover” pools mandatorily distributed in their last iteration on the card. 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