For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 21, 2019

PARX RACING ANNOUNCES STAKES SCHEDULE FOR 2019 Purses Totaling $5.625 Million

Parx Racing announced its stakes schedule this week for the 2019 season, a schedule that includes 28 stakes totaling $5.625 million in purse money. Topping the list are the tracks two $1 million Grade I races, the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion Stakes, run this year on Saturday, September 21st.

The Derby and Cotillion are the two centerpiece races for the track?s biggest day of the year, which has been expanded this year to include seven stakes in all, the $300K Gallant Bob, upgraded this past November and to be run for the first time as a Grade 2 race, the newly added $150K Parx Dirt Mile, the $150K Turf Amazon Stakes, the track?s top turf sprint for fillies & mares, and two PA-bred Stakes, the $100K Plum Pretty and the $100K Alphabet Soup.

The track had also expanded its Labor Day program, known as Smarty Jones Day. Headlined by the Grade 3 $300K Smarty Jones Stakes for three year-olds, the program will now feature six other stakes as well, the Grade 3 $300K Turf Monster, the track?s top race for turf sprinters, the first running of the $150K Cathryn Sophia Stakes for three-year-old fillies, and four MATCH series races, the $100K Bensalem, a six furlong sprint for males on the main track, the $100K Roamin Rachel, a six furlong main track sprint for fillies and mares, the $100K Neshaminy for males at seven and a half furlongs on the turf, and the $100K Sal DeBunda PTHA President?s Cup for fillies and mares at one mile and one-sixteenth on the turf.

The track has also moved Pennsylvania?s Day at the Races, its day to honor the breeding program in the Commonwealth. Traditionally run in September, it has been moved this year to Saturday, August 3rd and will again include five $100K stakes for the best state-breds in training.

The other major events are the track?s three other graded races, the G3 $200K Dr. James Penny Memorial (Tuesday, July 2), the Grade 3 $200K Parx Dash (Saturday, July 6) and the G3 $200K Greenwood Cup (Saturday, October 5).

The stakes season will begin Saturday, April 27th with two PA-bred stakes, the $100K Foxy JG and the $100K Lyman Handicap and conclude Saturday December 7th with the $100K Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes.