Stretch The Line fastest as Philly Claiming Series takes shape

CHESTER PA – No horse won in both the first and second preliminary leg of the harness racing pacing series for $10,000-valued horses at Harrah’s Philadelphia, but in Friday’s third and last prelims three horses added a second series win to their resume and established themselves as big contenders for the $12,500 Series Championship on Sunday November 30.

Fastest winner in Friday’s five $8000 races was Stretch The Line (Huntsville), who moved over to the Kevin Reynolds Jr. barn after a claim and parlayed a pocket trip into a 1:51.1 victory, coming his last quarter in :27.2 for driver Ridge Warren. The other horses with two series wins are Real Lucky N, making it two straight and five in his last seven as he moved to the Bob Belcher barn and won in 1:52.1 for driver George Napolitano Jr., and Just Bet It All, switching into the barn of Jamie Vance after a claim and then winning in 1:53.1 with Corey Callahan driving.

STRETCH THE LINE REPLAY

Also notching a series win Friday were Your Brother (driver Tim Tetrick) in 1:53.2 in his series debut, and Squadron Seelster, driven by Jack Pelling to a 1:53.3 win. Surprisingly, with the big money coming up (there were also be as many $10,000 consolations as fill), there was only one horse claimed all day, and he did not win.

Both of the features for distaff pacers were driven by Simon Allard, who had four visits to Victory Lane Friday and has guided 23 winners already in the month in November. In a $12,000 contest for developing horses, Neil’s Diamond had her many backers singing Sweet Caroline as the sophomore daughter of In The Arsenal took her third win in her last five outings, defeating Swift Sarabi by three parts of a length in 1:53.1 for trainer Jeffrey Smith and the partnership of Joseph Jannuzzelli and Steven and Joseph Williams.

In an $11,000 fast-class pace, Allard sat in with the longest shot on the board, the Betterthancheddar mare Cheesey Lady, then found a seam on the far turn and charged home to catch Spicy Story by three-quarters of a length while equaling her lifetime mark of 1:52.3. Adrian Wisher trains and owns the winner, who paid $40.60 for a win deuce.

Harrah’s Philly will have live racing on Sunday at 12:40, with a rare Sunday trotting feature, a $16,000 fast-class contest. Philly will then be dark on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday, and will reopen on Sunday, November 30 (draw Tuesday), with the big races in the claiming series set to go on that day. 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