Svanstedt sweeps $90,400 Simpson Stakes divisions

CHESTER PA – Master Swedish horseman Åke Svanstedt is the harness racing trainer of the powerhouse sophomore trotting filly Jiggy Jog S, winner of her Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Saturday evening. For an encore on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 30), he came to Harrah’s Philadelphia and both trained and drove the two divisional winners of the $90,400 Elma, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for the same age, sex, and gait as Jiggy Jog S.

The first winner, the Father Patrick filly Virgin Mary, was expected to win and did so, with Svanstedt guiding into the pocket behind pacesetter Unleashed Kemp and fractions of :28.4, :58, and 1:26.3, then rallying with her up the inside to catch the pacesetter by a half length to equal her lifetime mark of 1:54.4. The winner is owned by Brochart Stable Inc.

VIRGIN MARY REPLAY

The Svanstedt sweep concluded with 19-1 shot Ebbies Lady (Southwind Frank), who pulled from the pocket after the :27 quarter to take control in front of the stands. She put up midsplits of :56.3 and 1:24.4 while turning away first-over favorite Dreamonhigh, then held off the late-charging Palermo Hanover by a nose, with early leader Primadonna Deo just a head away from taking it all in the 1:54 mile, which yielded a new mark to the daughter of Southwind Frank.

Åke Svanstedt Inc. shares ownership with Young Guns.

EBBIES LADY REPLAY

There were also two divisions of the $85,200 Hardie Hanover for three-year-old pacing fillies as the Simpson Memorial series wound up its 2022 stay at Philly. In the first division, Todd McCarthy sent the American Ideal filly Gotthegreenlight through quick fractions of :26.3, :55, and 1:22, seeing first-up favorite Captain Cowgirl back off after the latter station, and then open up enough of a lead to withstand the late charge of Valar Dohaeris (yet another Svanstedt, and on the pace no less) by 1½ lengths in 1:51.1. Gotthegreenlight raised her lifetime earnings to $513,997 for trainer Nifty Norman and the ownership of Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables LLC.

In the second Hardie Hanover cut, sire American Ideal completed a sweep as A Girl That Twirls lowered her mark to 1:50.4. Matt Kakaley sat third while Lyons Serenity posted the early splits of :26.4 and :55.1, moved uncovered down the backstretch to go by near the 1:23 three-quarters, and then turned the stake into a romp with a 7½ length winning margin for trainer Deborah Daguet and D Racing Stable Inc. A Girl That Twirls now has lifetime earnings of $296,748.

Five drivers had two wins each on the Sunday card: Todd McCarthy, Marcus Miller, Åke Svanstedt, meet leader Tim Tetrick, and Simon Allard. Allard continues his amazing streak of being Philly’s top driver or co-top driver of the day during 13 of the track’s last 15 cards, with 45 victories, an average of three a day, during that five-week period.

Racing is currently being conducted at Harrah’s Philadelphia on a Thursday – Friday – Sunday basis; when action gets back underway on “Trottin’ Thursday,” the $16,200 fast-class handicap feature will find the likes of Hayek and Storm Is Raging looking to extend their current form streaks. There will also be a $2289.58 carryover into the day’s Pick 4 on the first four races.

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For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia