On The Watersedge is pocket-rocket at Philly

CHESTER, PA – The Rockin Image filly On The Watersedge surged in the stretch from the pocket to catch favored Ginger Tree Belle and win the $12,000 featured harness racing pace for distaffs Friday afternoon (May 31) at Harrah’s Philadelphia, winning by three-quarters of a length while taking a new mark of 1:52.4 at the riverside oval.

Simon Allard guided the Freehold invader to prime two-hole territory as the pacesetter carved out splits of :27, :55.3, and 1:23.4, then was able to get past the chalk for trainer Richard Bilach and owner Ms. Dawn Ghiraldi. On The Watersedge lowered her mark by 4 1/5 seconds with the feature race win.

ON THE WATERSEDGE REPLAY

Driver Anthony Morgan and trainer/owner Chris Temming bookended the card, starting with Twig’s (Mr Apples) 1:51.2 front-end victory in the $11,500 topline claiming handicap pace. The successful gelding blazed his last half in :54.4 – :27 while missing his lifetime mark by a tick. The red-hot Temming had the only training double of the day; Morgan was joined in posting a double by Allard, Andrew McCarthy, and Jack Pelling.

TWIG REPLAY

Jack Pelling’s father Brett is the trainer of Direction, an Always B Miki filly who is unbeaten in three seasonal starts and is seven–for-nine lifetime after an impressive win in 1:51, fastest of her career, in a $9500 distaff contest pace. With Jack driving a stablemate for his father, Todd McCarthy (wearing the colors of owners Diamond Creek Racing, got the call behind Direction and after early exchanges of the lead wound up in the pocket, from which his filly rallied for the tally.

DIRECTION REPLAY

The racing week closes at Harrah’s Philly on Sunday at 12:40, with South Beach Star starting from the outside of the field of six in the $13,000 handicap pacing feature, looking to follow up on his victory in the Senditin Invitational this past “Super Sunday.” The bettors will also have the chance to wager into a pool carrying over $2194.40 into the Pick-5 wager beginning in race five.

Harrah’s was to have started Wednesday racing this coming week, on June 5, but there is fierce competition for racehorses among area tracks, and a representative, competitive card could not be fielded. Instead, Philly will race Thursday and Friday at 12:25 and Sunday at 12:40, and then after a week with Sire Stakes horses on that Sunday card (June 9) and perhaps some two-year-olds ready for their pari-mutuel bows, the intention is to have a Wednesday program on June 12.

Free Philly programs are available at www.phha.org.

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

From the PHHA / Harrah’s Philadelphia