Blazing Trail is best on ‘Trottin’ Thursday’

CHESTER, PA – Blazing Trail ($8.00) took full advantage of a couple of scratches and a breaking favorite, rallying from second-over to win the $15,300 harness racing featured trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon.

Simon Allard kept the Father Patrick gelding in hand behind a slow pace, then was quick to follow the cover of Divine Spirit at the half.

The trotter tipped three-wide on the last turn, went by both the first-over horse and front stepper Bountiful Brittney by midstretch, and had a three-quarter of a length margin over the pacesetter at the end of a 1:57.2 mile, coming his own back half in :57.

Kenneth Tisa owns and trains the winner of $108,163.

BLAZING TRAIL REPLAY

There were a pair of $14,400 co-features on “Trottin’ Thursday” at Philly in which both winners recorded their second consecutive victories. Simon Allard also had the sulky seat behind the faster winner, Shadrack Hanover, a son of Muscle Hill, who controlled the pace and won by open lengths in 1:55.3, covering his back half in :57. The lightly raced, improving horse is trained by Deborah Daguet for owner Kapildeo Singh.

In the other co-feature, the Bar Hopping three-year-old gelding Vincenti lowered his mark to 1:56.2, setting the pace and then powering home in :57.2 to withstand the charge of potential pocket rocket Tequila N Roses by a nose. Luke Hanners drove the Frank Tsipouras trainee for owner Alexandra Elaine Ulrich.

A $13,000 fast-class trot saw the closer Baldaquin come from last, speeding his own back half in :56, to just reach the wire first by a nose ahead of pacesetting Kenogami Coco in 1:55.1, with pocketsitting Wings Of Speed another neck behind. Vinny Ginsburg drove the Explosive Matter gelding, who at age five has eleven wins in but 24 career starts and earnings of $109,493 for trainer Louise Pepin, also co-owner with Steven Bryden.

Tim Tetrick and George Napolitano Jr., who between them have accounted for the last fourteen dash driving titles locally and are 1-2 in that order again this year, each guided three horses to victory Thursday.

There will be three $14,400 top purse events at Harrah’s Philadelphia Friday – two of them for male pacers, and the other for trotters. Program pages for the 12:25 card is available at www.phha.org/harrahspps.html.

For full race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia