10-1 Yanks Dugout hits one out of the park

CHESTER, PA – A pair of Hall Of Famers – harness racing driver David Miller and trainer Ron Burke – combined to spring a 10-1 upset with Yanks Dugout (Triumphant Caviar) in the $16,200 trotting feature on Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Miller left well with the gelding but found contention all around him, finally making the top just past a :27 opener then yielding to favored Sorella and went to the half of :55.3 and had the front part of the field strung out nearing the 1:23.3 three-quarters.

Miller asked his trotter for more, and he wheeled outside late on the turn, made his way to the lead in upper stretch, then battled home to hold off the inside thrust of Focus Pocus by a neck in 1:53.1.

This was the first victory for Yanks Dugout since his win in the Open trot on Super Stakes Sunday here May 29, and this victory helped raise his lifetime bankroll to $322,348 for owners Ivan and John Duke Sugg.

YANKS DUGOUT REPLAY

In the $15,300 co-featured trot for developing horses, X O X O (Angus Hall) seems to love racing right now, departing her native Quebec with two wins in a row, adding two more at Yonkers, and now notching a second straight victory at Philly, here in 1:55 despite having to tuck early and then go first-over.

Driver George Napolitano Jr. found the mare more than ready to overcome such a rough journey, winning by 1¾ lengths over Yucatan Party Man, who photo’d Colonial AS IT for second. Deborah Daguet trains the winner of six straight, a good stakes performer at two and three in “la belle province” for D Racing Stable Inc.

 X O X O REPLAY

Feature winners Miller and Napolitano each had three successes on the day, with each scoring with two favorites early – the chalk started out five-for-six, then was blanked the rest of the card.

The Harrah’s Philly Racing Office, perhaps with an eye to other stakes and events this weekend, switched the fast-class pacers to the Friday card this week. The feature on the 12:25 card is the $22,500 handicap pace in the tenth slot, with last year’s older pacer of the year Allywag Hanover beginning from the outside in the field of six while searching for his second straight at Philly.

There is also a $10,000 guaranteed pool in the Pick-4 bet starting with the first race; that pool will contain a $2288.90 carryover from the last, unsolved Pick-4 on Thursday. Program pages are available by clicking here.

For complete race results, click here.

From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia