For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 1, 2015
PARX HOSTING PA DAY AT THE RACES ON SATURDAY Five Stakes with Purses Totaling $500,000
This Saturday Parx Racing will play host to the 15th edition of Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races, a day designed to celebrate the Breeding industry here in the Commonwealth and gather some of the state’s top racing talent to compete on the same day. The expanded twelve race program will feature five $100,000 stakes including split divisions of the Mrs. Penny Stakes.
Overflow entries forced the $100,000 Mrs. Penny Stakes to be split into two divisions. As in past years, it’s a one mile and one-sixteenth turf test for fillies and mares three and up. Topping the first division is Sycamore Racing’s Nellie Cashman. The five year-old Mineshaft mare has won nearly $350,000 in her 22 race career. Included in her 4 lifetime wins was a victory this April in the $100K Dahlia Stakes at Pimlico. Her best race last year may have come at Saratoga when she ran third at 17-1 in the G2 Ballston Spa last August. Trainer Francis Abbott III has named Forest Boyce to ride.
Heading the second division of the Mrs. Penny are a pair of 5 year-old Kitten’s Joy’s mares, Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey’s Emotional Kitten and Augustin Stable’s Kitten’s Point. Trained by Wesley Ward, Emotional Kitten comes east after finishing third in a blanket finish in the tough G2 John Mabee at DelMar. She’s won over $500K in her career. Kieren Fallon comes in for the ride. Kitten’s Point was a graded winner at Keeneland this spring, winning the G3 Bewitch on April 24th. Her career earnings top $462K. Alex Cintron will ride for Graham Motion.
The big turf sprint of the day is the $100,000 Marshall Jenney Handicap. The morning line favorite is last year’s Pennsylvania Horse of the Year, Favorite Tale. The 4 year-old gelded son of Tale of the Cat is a multiple graded winner, last year winning the G3 Gallant Bob here at Parx and then in July of this year at Gulfstream he went wire to wire in a dominant performance, winning the G2 Smile Sprint to get himself an automatic berth into the Breeders Cup Sprint this October at Keeneland. His lone turf start came last July at Saratoga when he ran third in a blanket finish in the $100 Quick Call Stakes. Trainer Lupe Preciado has not named a rider.
Three year-old fillies will compete in the $100,000 Dr. Teresa Garafolo Memorial at six furlongs on the main track. Discreet Senorita is expected to get plenty of support. Owned jointly by Dun Roamin Farms Inc. & Rosemore Farms Inc. the 3 year-old Discreet Cat filly has been tough when facing her fellow state-breds. Three of her four lifetime wins have come against PA-breds, including a five and a half-length, off the pace win last time out in a conditional allowance here on July 25th. Trainer Ed Lehman will again employ her regular rider, the meet’s current top jockey, Frankie Pennington.
A competitive group of seven will do battle $100,000 Roanoke Stakes at one mile and one-sixteenth on the main track. The always tough Page McKenney returns to Parx for trainer Mary Eppler. The 5 year-old gelded son of Eavesdropper was unbeaten over the main track here last year including a win in the $75K First Responder Stakes. Among his impressive lines this year are a third at 33-1 behind Moreno and Imperative in the G2 Charlestown Classic and a second behind Commissioner in the G3 Pimlico Special. Horacio Karamanos gets the mount.
