Two take new marks in Liberty Bell

CHESTER PA – Both Knockout Round (Sweet Lou) and Sugar Man (Papi Rob Hanover) lowered their lifetime speed records by over two seconds in capturing their respective divisions of the $87,000 Liberty Bell stake for two-year-old pacing males Friday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Knockout Round turned in the quicker clocking, 1:50.4. Andrew McCarthy sent the baby up uncovered early in the backstretch, and the fast freshman blitzed his last half in :54 flat to overhaul pacesetting favorite Dreamboat Hanover by three-quarters of a length. Tony Alagna trains the speedy youngster for the ownership of Micki Rae Stables LLC and Tim Twaddle.

KNOCKOUT ROUND REPLAY

Also impressive in victory was Sugar Man, who made two speed moves for command, then turned in a pair of :27.3 back quarters to withstand pocketsitter Wedlock Blue Chip by 1¾ lengths while stopping the timer in 1:51.1. Brett Pelling conditions the winner, whose two career triumphs have both come at Philly, for the ownership of David Mc Duffee, Melvin Hartman, and Rojan Stables.

Sugar Man was the favorite in his Liberty Bell section, but Knockout Round returned 8-1 to his backers, and the winners of the $14,000 fast-class handicap events on their respective gaits were the two biggest-paying winners of the afternoon.

SUGAR MAN REPLAY

All four of the rivals of Agedcheddar Hanover were sent off by the public at 3-1 or less while the pacer was let go at 19-1, but the gelded son of Betterthancheddar was dismayed by neither his lack of mutuel support nor his position of last at the stretch call while winning in a lifetime best (at age eight) of 1:50.2. Agedcheddar Hanover flashed a giant late kick on a day when that tactic was not used by many winners and overhauled the entire field in the lane, winning by a neck over Captain Crusader A in a race that saw four of the field within half a length at the finish. Ridge Warren masterminded the upset for Breeders Crown-winning trainer Jake Leamon and owner Dona McDonald.

Tim Tetrick, leading driver at Philly and tops in reaching the winners circle on Friday with four visits to Victory Lane, gave a master class in sulky patience while directing the E L Titan gelding Platinum AS to an 11-1 upset of a talented trotting field in 1:53.1. Tetrick kept Platinum AS inside rather than send him first-over before the half, but then slipped out to follow cover when no one moved up to follow the uncovered horse. From there Tetrick swung his charge wide, made the lead midstretch, then held off a late rally by Lava Field by a nose for trainer Anette Lorentzon and ACL Stuteri AB.

Also notable was the 1:54.3 mile turned in by the Muscle Hill – Designed To Be two-year-old trotting colt Herecomesdajudge, as that clocking missed the Philly divisional record set earlier this year by Father TJ by only two-fifths of a second. Herecomesdajudge, who rallied to catch pacesetter Lefties Righties by a nose, has now won two straight for trainer Julie Miller and driver/husband Andy, whose Andy Miller Stable Inc. shares ownership with T L P Stable, Mr. Caroll Huffman, and Patrick Hoopes.

The Liberty Bell stakes series will come to a 2024 end during Sunday’s 12:40 card at Philly, with three-year-old fillies of each gait going in two events worth $30,000 per race; there will also be a carryover into that day’s Pick 5 wager beginning in race five.

Free Philly programs are or will be available at www.phha.org.

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia