Fastest mile of year tied at Harrah’s Philly

CHESTER, PA – Komodo Beach (Somebeachsomewhere), fresh off a win in the Championship of a Kentucky series at Oak Grove, came to Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon (Aug. 12) and promptly won the $22,500 handicap pace in 1:48.4, equaling the clocking put up by Let It Ride N in the Open on May’s Super Sunday as the fastest local harness racing mile of the year.

The four-year-old gelding was reserved by driver Andy McCarthy off a hot pace, with Ultimaroca grabbing the top from Casual Cool after a :25.4 quarter only to see that one remove to the lead well before the :53.2 half.

Casual Cool was still fighting for the lead at the 1:21 three-quarters, as Dragon Said was grinding up first-over, with Komodo Beach right on his back.

Dragon Said made the lead around the turn and paced on gamely to the wire, but Komodo Beach had a little more off the cover trip and won by half a length.

KOMODO BEACH REPLAY

Noel Daley trains the winner of $382,640 ($151,510 of which has come this year) for Morrison Racing Stables, who purchased the horse outright before the 2022 racing season. Komodo Beach has now earned $377,589 and won 11 times in 36 lifetime starts.

Favored P L Ozzy had gained the lead past the :26.4 quarter in the $15,300 co-featured pace and sailed along through fractions of :55.1 and 1:22 while opening a little distance on the field. Then out of nowhere, the horse went on a break – he may have tried to jump the shadow of a light standard visible on the track before midturn.

This event left Meadowlands Pace elimination winner Market Share, who had been sitting in the two-hole, on the lead while also giving the third-in Copper Teen (American Ideal) room, and that gelding paced off to victory in 1:50.1, lowering his lifetime standard by almost four seconds.

COPPER TEEN REPLAY

Joe Bongiorno guided the $58.20 upsetter for trainer Per Engblom and owners Evan Katz, Frank Canzone, and Joseph Di Scala Jr. Copper Teen is five-for-52 lifetime with $62,532 in career earnings.

Driver Bongiorno had the hot hands at Philly Friday, guiding four winners. Two of them were for the stable of his sister Jenn — the pair both led their respective percentage tables here last year. Perhaps the double signaled better fortune for Jenn, who since July 30 at Philly/Pocono was only 2 for 16, with many favored horses failing to get the job done, but the stable rebounded strongly today.

Sunday’s card will feature a pair of $12,000 paces for the highest-priced claiming horses on the grounds, four races for the American Harness Drivers Club’s amateur horsemen, and a $15,000 guaranteed Pick-5 pool on races five through nine after a carryover of $3512.03 from Friday. Sunday’s racing starts at 12:40 p.m.; program pages are available by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia