Gaines Hanover overpowers Philly trot field

CHESTER PA – The Cantab Hall gelding Gaines Hanover got a nice tow-up from second-over in the $15,000 featured handicap trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Friday afternoon, then tipped wide with an eighth to go and overpowered his harness racing field late to win in 1:53.4.

Khaosan Road, winner of four straight and the favorite, left sharply from the outside post eight and reached the quarter in :26.3, but that one yielded to the brusher Chake in front of the stands. Chake posted midsplits of :56 and 1:24.3, to the latter station being pressured by first-over Baroness Hill. The last-named could not sustain her bid, and it was at that point that Pat Lachance tipped the winner of $645,752 wide and finished out strongly to take a two length decision over Chake. Lachance also trains the winner for Gestion J Y Blais Inc.

GAINES HANOVER REPLAY

In the fast-class pace, worth $14,000, the Betterthancheddar gelding Agedchedar Hanover found himself last-over mid-backstretch, but driver Ridge Warren tipped him wide at that point. The horse went up to a furious gear, blindswitching horses and making up ground while wide all the way to the wire, where he caught leader Pat McGarry by half a length in 1:51.1, with the five checkgetters separated by only 1¼ lengths. The winner of three of his last four is trained by Jake Leamon for owner Dona McDonald.

AGEDCHEDAR HANOVER REPLAY

A $13,500 pace for developing horses carried the condition “fillies and mares preferred,” but it was the lone male competitor, the Henry Hill gelding Ishotthesheriff GB, who got the biggest check after a 1:53.1 mile. Ishotthesheriff GB vacated the pocket late on the far turn and paced away to win by 2¾ lengths over Seeuonotherisde for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Robert Cleary, the latter co-owner with Howard Taylor, David Kryway, and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC.

Driving triples were posted by Andrew McCarthy (all for trainer Robert Cleary), George Napolitano Jr. (all for meet-leading trainer Dean Eckley), and Tim Tetrick (each for a different trainer). Tetrick has a five-win lead over Napolitano for the meet, 149-144, and the UDR chase is just as close, with Tetrick (.370) and Napolitano (.364) joined by David Miller (.357).

The racing week at Harrah’s Philly closes out on Sunday with a 12:40 card. Philly will race its normal fall schedule of Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40 this coming week, then will be dark for live racing on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, resuming on Sunday, December 1 at 12:40.

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