Saving the best for last on Philly card

CHESTER, PA – They saved the fastest for last on Thursday (June 22) afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia, as the Sweet Lou sophomore gelding Lite N Sweet won the $12,600 harness racing feature race for his section, the last event carded on the day, in a career best 1:50.4.

Though the past performance line shows “2”s all the way to the stretch, the three-year-old in fact made three moves during the mile: leaving well, retaking after letting one foe go and then sitting by the next one to charge up, then coming on again in the lane for a three-quarters of a length victory over Andy Mac Hanover for driver Troy Beyer and Team Cancelliere, trainer Tom and owner/brother John.

LITE N SWEET REPLAY

In the faster division of the quad features for filly pacers, Light And Tight (American Ideal), who was able to rally for a neck tally over pacesetting Absolute Power while reducing her own lifetime best a tick to 1:52.4 for trainer Nifty Norman and owners Pinske Stables and David Hoese.

Light And Tight’s driver David Miller won four races on the afternoon to tie for top driver with George Napolitano Jr.; “George Nap” won the other pacing filly feature with the Sweet Lou mare Louie The Lilac in 1:54.1 by a neck over Esperanza Hanover, giving Team Cancelliere another victory in the day’s featured contests.

David Miller earned himself a second feature win in the lone trotting headliner, winning with the International Moni gelding Allmoni in 1:57.2 to run his 2023 record to four-for-five with a neck defeat of Metro Matty. Trainer Jason Johnson co-owns the improved trotter with Edward and Kelly Moore.

The first Philly pari-mutuel race for two-year-olds in 2023 was conducted during the card, a contest for trotting fillies that went to the Fordham Road – Lovebeinglucky miss Loveyoubunches, who came home in :57.2 – :28.2 to win in a new mark of 1:58 for driver Todd Schadel, also co-owner with his wife Christine and Rick and Regina Beinhauer.

The win by Loveyoubunches gave Todd and Christine’s son Cody his first licensed win as a trainer as he becomes an even bigger part of the far-flung Schadel operation.

LOVEYOUBUNCHES REPLAY

Racing continues this week at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40. Program pages for all races at Harrah’s Philadelphia are or will be available by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia