Focus Pocus magically wins feature trot

CHESTER, PA – Three invaders from the North were sent off as the favorites in Friday’s (Dec. 23) $22,500 handicap harness racing trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but it was the two local horses who defended the home track’s honor with pride, as Focus Pocus (Muscle Massive) held off Baldaquin in 1:57.3 over a “sloppy +3” track in freezing temperatures and into a fierce stretch headwind.

Willy Walton grabbed early command, with Focus Pocus maintaining the pocket through early fractions of :28 and :59.1. Weslynn Quest started uncovered near the half but quickly lost stride, leaving favored Eurobond to have to go up first-over (with a tailwind) to challenge through and past the 1:27.2 three-quarters, with Baldaquin on that one’s back.

Late on the far turn Eurobond broke, and Focus Pocus’s driver George Napolitano Jr. was quick to move to the outside to try to diminish any momentum advantage that the swinging wide Baldaquin may have gained.

The tactic worked, and the gelding Focus Pocus won by a half-length while boosting his seasonal earnings to $133,902 for trainer Jeff Cullipher, co-owner with Pollack Racing LLC.

FOCUS POCUS REPLAY

Inaminute Hanover (Bar Hopping), a 1:52.4 trotter making his second Stateside start, sat on the rail most of the way in the $16,200 co-featured trot, moved out behind favored pocketsitter Smoking Jet, then caught that one by a half-length in 2:00.4 in the frigid conditions (the track had just been upgraded to “good +2”).  Andrew McCarthy had the winning drive behind the victorious gelding, who is trained by Jake Huff for Beauty Bridle Racing Stable Inc.

The Father Patrick sophomore filly Adore Me went straight to the top in the bitter conditions, then held together to defeat pocketsitting Pencils Down by a half-length to take the $14,400 top trot for developing horses in 1:59.1 (“good” but back to “+3” as the mercury fell further). Andy Miller drove the winner to her second straight victory for trainer Julie Miller and Windsong Stable.

Simon Allard, a clear second in the Philly driver standings behind runaway leader Tim Tetrick, topped Friday’s driving colony by guiding home four winners.

Harrah’s Philly will be right back racing on Christmas Eve Saturday, with a first post of noon, featuring a very solid array of fast-class pacers, including the “rubber match” between Pat McGarry A and Colossal Stride A in the $22,500 featured fast-class handicap pace. There will also be a carryover of $1715.88 in thePick-5 bet in races five through nine. The season will conclude next week with a 12:25 card on Friday and a 2:30 card on New Year Eve’s Saturday. Program pages for all Philly cards are or will be available by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia