CHESTER PA – The Liberty Bell Stakes series continued strong Thursday afternoon $120,400 at Harrah’s Philadelphia, with two-year-old fillies, two running divisions at the trot and one at pace, working in cool temperatures and battling each other against a strong headwind.
Yannick Gingras once again showed why he is a Hall of Fame driver with a nervous wheel behind Sandyboots Yankee (Always B Miki) in winning the first of the two Liberty Bell pacing divisions.
JK Sassy Lady crossed over to the top in the field of five; Sandyboots Hanover, just inside her, got a loop, three wide and was forced back to last. The four in front of her formed two and two at the back and during the final turn; Gingras chose to place the daughter of Always B Miki – A Beach Cowgirl blindswitched as the second over tipped wide, leaving her last on the stretch call.
When she could no longer keep up with the track, Gingras shot the Ron Burke trainee into that emerging space and came close to win by three-quarters of a length from JK Sassy Lady in 1:53.4, restoring a regular breathing pattern for her 2-5 backers. Sandyboots Yankee, another Simpson-Liberty Bell doubler, won for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Lawrence Karr and Phil Collura.
SANDYBOOTS YANKEE REPLAY
Gingras and Burke got right back into the second Liberty Bell pace, this time with the Tall dark stranger – Apple Bottom Jeans misses With The Fur as she broke her maiden in 1:54.3. With The Fur, an 8-1 shot, she had a comfortable ride through the three holes, advanced on the turn and left the field well behind her as she recorded her first victory, a stakes success for owner Howard Taylor.
WITH THE FUR REPEAT
The only Liberty Bell event for trotters saw Berry Good News, who made an early break in her last start but still came back to miss just a neck from Sister Wine, see that decision reversed today in 1:56.3. The victorious daughter of Green shoe – Poof She’s Gone stormed away strongly and put Sister Wine behind her, setting the pace and then having enough left to hold that rival off the game, this week’s margin a head. There was a “Tyler” Exacta in this race as driver Buter beat driver Miller, with the winner trained by Nifty Norman for Melvin Hartman and David Mc Duffee.
BERRY GOOD NEWS REPEAT
There were two trotting competitions for the night set, and both were won by driver Johnathan Ahle. A $13,500 competition for up-and-comers went to international Moni second-year Mrs Moni Buys Happiness, who had a tough ride, including a long first-over battle, but despite 47 days off had to dig in to beat favorite second-over Manoah by a neck in 1:55.2. Richard Hans, always remembered for his hand in Googoo Gaagaa, is the trainer and owner of the winner of four of seven starts after failing to race on two.
The International Moni The gelding Khaosan Road proved half a length better than millionaires favorite Chapercraz in a classic stretch duel, winning the $13,000 fast class in 1:53.3. Ahle sent Khaosan Road to the front early and surrendered to sit on the back of the chalk, leaving the golden seat halfway through the turn and having to do everything he could to beat the stubborn leader as his earnings rose to $493,056 for trainer Åke Svanstedt and the Knutsson Trotting Inc. partnership. and Little E LLC.
Driver Simon Allard rode a driving triple, two of which were for trainer Per Engblom. The driving doubles were recorded by Johnathan Ahle (the two fast class features), Yannick Gingras (the two Burke stakes horses), Tyler Miller and Jack Pelling; in addition to Burke and Engblom (1-2 in North America in wins), Jenny Melander trained two winners on the Thursday card.
Friday’s 12:25 p.m. program marks the end of the 2025 run of the Liberty Bell stakes Series at the southeastern Pennsylvania oval, with the “glam boys,” the three-year-old males, in action – three divisions for pacers, with nationally known names like Prince Hal Hanover and Twisted Destiny, and two sections for trotters. Friday also marks the start of a claiming series for horses worth $10,000, with five divisions in this first leg; the best from three preliminary rounds return to compete in a $12,500 championship on November 30. Free Philly program pages are or will be available at www.pha.org.
For full race results, click here: American trotting results.
From the PHHA/Harrah’s Philadelphia
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