For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 215.639.9000 ext. 3290 or 3329 Contact: Keith Jones, Announcer – Philadelphia Park @ kjones@parxracing.com
$75,000 TURNING FOR STAKES HEADS OWNERS DAY SATURDAY Over $600K in Purses Given Away
Saturday Parx Racing will say thanks to the many owners that run their horses at the local track with Owners Appreciation Day. The expanded 12 race card will feature total purses of $613,000 including the $75,000 Turning for Home Stakes, a one mile and one-sixteenth grass test for three year-olds and up.
The probable favorite in the evenly matched field of eight looks to be Fredericksburg, a four year-old gelded son of Speightstown racing for Ramona Bass and trainer Michael Matz. While still looking for his first stakes victory, he’s been close in graded company. He opened his four year-old season with a second, losing by just a neck after leading the entire way, in the G3 John Connelly Stakes at Sam Houston Park. In his most recent effort on July 27th at Monmouth Park, he again got caught just before the finish and settled for second in the G3 Oceanport. He shows three lifetime wins from sixteen starts with earnings of just over $200,000. Joshua Navarro has been named to ride.
Ellendale Racing will send out the always tough Roadhog. The seven year-old gelded son of Bowman’s Beast has ten lifetime wins including three over the local course here at Parx and has banked nearly $600,000. His three wins last year were all stakes, the $75K Leematt at Presque Isle last July, the $75K Alphabet Soup here last September and the $125K Maryland Million Turf last October at Laurel. In three stakes since that October win he’s been second, losing by a nose, a head and a head. Kendrick Carmouche will ride for trainer Elizabeth Merryman.
Trainer Graham Motion, who is again having a terrific year, will saddle Jack Swain III’s General Logan. The five year-old gelded son of Exchange Rate is also looking to add a first stakes win to his resume, but he’s run a number of quality races against some tough competition and could well get over that hump come Saturday. Last June he was a close fourth in the G2 Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs and was a close fourth here despite a troubled trip in the $250K PTHA Governor’s Cup last September. In his two starts this year he has caught yielding courses at Belmont Park and has not appeared to enjoy the softer going. He should catch a firm course here on Saturday. Erick Rodriguez will come in for the ride.
The rest of the field includes Margano (trainer Arnaud Delacour), Dancing Lounge (John Servis), Change of Command (Mike Trombetta), Camden Street (Mike Aro), and Hobo Ridge (Marcos Zulueta).
