For Immediate Release: Sunday, September 6, 2015
THREE MAJOR STAKES ON LABOR DAY CARD AT PARX Ben’s Cat Looking for 31st Career Win
Parx Racing’s Fall Festival continues on Labor Day with three of the track’s major stakes heading a fantastic ten race program. All featured on the Monday holiday card are the $300,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster Handicap, the $200,000 Grade 3 Greenwood Cup and the $200,000 Turf Amazon Handicap. The Turf Monster is the track’s top turf sprint of the year contested at five furlongs on the grass. The Greenwood Cup is the track’s top long distance race run at a mile and a half on the main track and the Turf Amazon will be contested by some the best female turf sprinters in the country.
As it has in the past, the Turf Monster promises to be one of the year’s best races at Parx. A terrific field of nine is topped by the amazing Ben’s Cat, the 2011 and 2012 winner of this event. His career record reads like a misprint having won an incredible 30 of 50 lifetime starts with better than $2.4 million in earnings. The 9 year-old gelded son of Parker’s Storm Cat races for The Jim Stable and new Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury. While he’s won five times over the local course, he’ll be looking to rebound from a rare sub-par performance in the July G3 Parx Dash when he ran a disappointing sixth, his worst finish in years. He comes into the race off a win in the Mister Diz Stakes at Laurel, a race he’s now won an incomprehensible six years in a row. He’ll need to at his very best if he hopes to win this third Turf Monster. Those ready to challenge include Pure Sensation (Christophe Clement), a stakes winner last summer at Saratoga, Mongolian Saturday ((Enebish Ganbet), runner up in the G3 Parx Dash, Tightend Touchdown (Jason Servis), winner of the G3 Parx Dash, and Sharp Sensation (Reade Baker), a 16-1 winner of last year’s Turf Monster.
The 5-2 morning line favorite in the long distance G3 Greenwood Cup is Winning Move Stable’s Turco Bravo. The six year-old gelded son of Caesarion has won 11 lifetime races for trainer Gary Contessa, including a win in the $100K Stymie Handicap this March at Aqueduct. Last time out he was a 5-1 runner up in the $100K Birdstone at Saratoga on August 12th. Long time Parx standout Kendrick Carmouche returns for the ride. For Greater Glory opens as 7-2 second choice. Owned by Alex and Joann Lielong, the five year-old son of Afleet Alex is coming into the race off two graded turf starts in the Midwest. In May, he ran second in the G3 Louisville Handicap at Churchill and most recently he finished behind the Arlington Million winner The Pizza Man in the G3 Stars and Stripes at Arlington. Trainer Steve Hobby has named Joe Rocco, Jr. to ride.
The Turf Amazon is loaded with a great field of ten lady turf sprinters. Ninety North Racing Stable’s Thieves Guild comes down from New York for trainer James Toner and opens as the 5-2 choice. The lightly raced four year-old Medaglia D’Oro filly has won three of five lifetime starts, is 2 for 2 here in 2015, and is coming off a victory in the $100K Caress Stakes at Saratoga August 2nd. Jose Lezcano gets the mount. Ben Perkins, Jr. saddles the second choice Jewel of a Cat. The five year-old Wildcat Heir mare has won over $330K in her career and was a stakes winner this February at Gulfstream Park. Paco Lopez has been named to ride. Local trainer Kate DeMasi sends out a dangerous pair, Joya Real and Everything Lovely. Joya Real missed by a head in this race last year despite a horrendous start and Everything Lovely has lost only once since being switched to the turf at the end of May.
The track will have a special giveaway item on Labor Day, a useful Parx water bottle. Fans should note that the doors will open at 10AM with post time scheduled for 12:55PM. Fans can also enjoy live music and free Family Fun in the picnic grove. The classic southern rock band Big Whiskey will perform from 1-4PM while kids can enjoy free pony rides, moon bounces, face painting and more all afternoon.
Again, first post time for Labor Day is 12:55PM and again the doors open to the public at 10AM.
