Harrah’s Philadelphia opens 2024 season Friday

The 19th season of live harness racing at Harrah’s Philadelphia starts its 2024 stand on Friday (April 12), with 14 races set to go postward. Top purse of the day will be the $12,500 bounty offered to distaff pacers in race six; there will also be four contests for the highest-priced claimers on the grounds.

After opening day, Harrah’s Philadelphia will be racing on Thursday and Friday at 12:25 p.m. and Sunday at 12:40 p.m. until June, when Wednesday 12:25 p.m. cards will be added to the mix.

Philly also held another round of qualifiers Tuesday prior to its opening day, and it was dominated by Team Orange Crush and Team Tetrick/King.

Driver Andy Miller and trainer/wife Julie sent out three winning 3-year-old trotting fillies, all partially owned by Andy Miller Stable Inc.: Green Mercedes (Greenshoe), a 1:54.3 winner last year, won all by herself in 1:56.2, while career debutantes All Green (Greenshoe, 1:59.4) and Vivacity (2:00.1) made their racetrack bows successful. Even the junior member of Team Orange Crush got in on the act, as Tyler Miller catch-drove older pacer Hurrymiki Hanover to a 1:57.1 victory.

Harrah’s defending driving champion Tim Tetrick, who won four qualifiers here on Friday, had a double Tuesday with Jim King Jr.-trained 3-year-old sons of Captaintreacherous. Both showed sharp late foot: the gelding Fig Newton, who set the pace and came home in :56-:27.1 to stop the timer in 1:57.3, and the colt Lyons Benjamin, a Pennsylvania All-Stars winner at two who roared home to win in identical time, with his own back fractions :55.1-:26.3.