CHESTER PA – French Wine (Bar Hopping) paid a good price for keeping early control of the throttle, but then he never looked back while winning the $16,000 fast-class handicap harness racing trot Thursday afternoon at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:54.1.
FRENCH WINE REPLAY
Andy Miller had the victorious son of Bar Hopping revved up enough early to obtain and then refuse to relinquish the lead through an opening fraction of :27.2. On a day that was quite a bit cool than it has been locally for a few weeks, Miller could then “steal” the half in :57.3, pass the three-quarters in 1:26.1, and still have a :28 kicker in the tank to ward off an angling Resolve To Win by a neck, with first-over favorite Dial Square S holding her ground well to be just another neck off the winner.
Julie Miller trains the winner of $1,259,884, who has now won three of his last four and four of his last six, for Andy Miller Stable Inc., Daniel and Jean Plouffe, and One Legend Stable Inc.
Mr Bluebird flew away from the gate, set fractions of :29.1, :58.1, and 1:26.2, then had enough in reserve to defeat potential pocket rocket Excalibur Bi by 1½ lengths in 1:54.4 in the $14,000 co-featured trot. Trainer Åke Svanstedt was present at Harrah’s Thursday, but the son of Six Pack had been doing well when driven by Johnathan Ahle, and Ahle kept the steer for this victory for Åke Svanstedt Inc., Little E LLC, and Torbjorn Swahn Inc. Svanstedt drove two other winners on the card, giving the barn three success stories on the day.
Another son of Six Pack, the gelding Six Pack Tony, was parked wide early but rushed up to get the lead on the first turn, set fractions of :28.4, :58.1, and 1:27, then stayed clear by 1½ lengths to take a $13,500 trot in 1:56.1. Art Stafford Jr. guided the winner for trainer Brendan Davis and Moni Talks LLC.
George Napolitano Jr. topped the sulkysitters set with three victories.
Racing resumes at the riverside oval on Friday at 12:25; the feature on the 12:40 Sunday card is the final preliminary round of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and Stallion Series for two-year-old trotting males, as the babies try to secure spots in their upcoming rich Championships (the freshman PaSS championship will be held on a $1.4M card on Friday, September 5. 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
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