        |
|
 |
Pennsylvania Derby Day Jockey Club Gold@nbsp;Cup Woodbine Mile Day Del Mar Futurity Day Del Mar Debutante Day |
|
|
 Micah Husbands celebrates aboard Bodacious Bay after winning the Cotillion Stakes. Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com |
The richest races on the continent this weekend were run on Saturday at Parx Racing with two $1 million events run at the Bensalem, Pennsylvania oval. Conditions were typical for the last weekend of summer with cloudy skies, temperatures in the low 70's and the main track fast (the turf course is undergoing renovation, expected to host races again in 2027).
The co-feature race on Saturday was the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1), with a field of 9 three-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Always a Runner was sent off as the 9-10 favorite off second place finishes in the Acorn (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1). In to challenge her included 5-1 second choice Bodacious Bay, second in the Monmouth Oaks (G3), and 6-1 third choice My Miss Mo, winner of the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Monmouth Oaks.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione sent My Miss Mo to the lead first time by through fractions of 23.81 and 47.99 while pressed by Bodacious Bay and stalked by 16-1 Iron Orchard. On the far tun My Miss Mo tired allowing Bodacious Bay to inherit the lead through 3/4 in 1:11.94. Kept to task by Micah Husbands, Bodacious Bay drew off late to win by 3 1/4 lengths over late-running favorite Always a Runner in 1:43.60. It was a neck back to 13-2 fourth choice Measure third.
Also on the card was the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) won by The Puma plus the Gallant Bob Stakes, Parx Dirt Mile Stakes, and Liberty Bell Stakes.
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show 2 Bodacious Bay Husbands 12.20 5.00 3.60 4 Always a Runner Ortiz 2.60 2.10 8 Measure Franco 3.40 Winning Time: 1:43.60 $2 Exacta 2-4 31.20 $0.50 Trifecta 2-4-8 26.85 $0.10 Superfecta 2-4-8-9 32.73 |
Left: Bodacious Bay heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "It's a little late because then you have to go to the Breeders' Cup and win that to become 3-year-old champion. If she won the Breeders' Cup (Distaff) she would become the 3-year-old filly champion. But I don't know if we are going to the Breeders' Cup. This was a huge win, and I think next year we could have the best filly in the country. A lot of good fillies are going to retire, and our filly is just now getting good. The owners will talk it over and make a decision, but we feel like we have a filly that is hard to find these days. She is special."
Right: The trophy presentation with trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. on the far right.
Left: Bodacious Bay in the post parade. Winning jockey Micah Husbands said, "I was loaded the whole way. I was just sitting there on a lot of horse. By the half-mile pole, she wanted to go a little earlier than I thought, and I didn't want to get in her way, so I just let her cruise up and tried to bide my time. She finished it off like a monster. I thought there was going to be more speed, and I thought I would be covered up more, but it didn't work out that way. So, I just tried to keep clear and not go after my stablemate (My Miss Mo), and she did it proper."
Right: Bodacious Bay returns after the race.
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Always a Runner in the post parade. Jockey Jose Ortiz said, "I had a very good trip. The winner was the best today, she sat in a good spot in second and kept going. I never got close to them, maybe a few lengths. She gave me a good run and finished well, just couldn't catch the winner."
Right: Third place finisher Measure in the paddock. Jockey Manny Franco said, "She always runs from behind and I was following Always a Runner. At the three-eighths pole I had to wait a little because I had two horses in front of me tiring. I cut in, and she was just third best. She always tries."
 Buccherino wins the Stable Recovery Stakes |
Left: Buccherino in the winner's circle. Winning co-owner Kathy Lamont said, "We just love this horse, and Freddy (Velazquez, trainer) has just done such a wonderful job with him."
Right: Buccherino in the post parade. Winning jockey Eliseo Ruiz said, "It was hard because we had a lot of pressure in the first half-mile. They put a lot of pressure on me. We went too fast. But I mean, he ran last time with nothing serious. He had seven months off, so he needed a race."
Left: Second place finisher Ignite the Light in the post parade. The Richard Dutrow Jr. trainee improved his record to 4 wins, 5 seconds, and 1 third in 19 starts, earning $323,755 for owner-breeder Jay Em Ess Stable.
Right: Third place finisher Houghton Shuffle in the post parade. The Bruce Kravets trainee improved his record to 8 wins, 7 seconds, and 2 thirds in 22 starts, earning $357,928 for owners Stevark Stable and Randy Rentz.
 San Siro wins the Greenwood Cup Stakes |
Jockey Francisco Martinez sent 66-1 Silent Mode to the lead first time by through fractions of 26.42, 51.66, and 1:17.91 while pressed by Stronsino and stalked by 87-1 My Imagination. Down the backstretch 14-1 Carolo Rapido moved up to lead through 1 mile in 1:43.59 before tiring. On the far turn, San Siro, 6th early, swept to the front through 10f in 2:08.25 and drew off under Tyler Gaffalione to a 4 1/4 length win over late-running favorite Parchment Party in 2:33.03. It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Stronsino third.
Left: San Siro in the winner's circle. Charlie Lynch, assistant to winning trainer Brendan Walsh said, "The 1 1/8 miles (he had was probably as short as he wants to go, but he got it done in the last and coming in here we were pretty confident going 1 1/2 today. This horse is the coolest horse to be around. He has been in our barn for a long time now and to win a stake with him is pretty special. He has been with us since he was a 2-year-old and he's 5 now and he has just been a testament to Brendan and the team. He continues to show up every time and there is never a dull moment with him. He shows up and puts in his best effort. He travels really well and seemed to like it here today."
Right: San Siro heads back to the barn. Winning jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, "He knows what he's doing out there. He's an old pro. Just let him do his thing and when it's time to pick them up, just help him out a little bit. I wanted to just get him into that rhythm and just make sure we had a good racetrack for him. We've been looking forward to stretching him out. Brendan has always had the idea that this would be his game, but opportunities weren't there at the moment. He's really coming into his own and they've done a great job with him. Going around the far turn coming into the stretch, my horse was going really easy and it just came into my head that (Parchment Party) was going to be coming so I didn't want to play around too much and kept my horse going. He responded so well."
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Parchment Party. Jockey John Velazquez said, "He ran good. He didn't give me what I thought early in the race. The eventual winner opened up five [lengths] on the turn, that was it. He kind of went through the motions today, I mean he still ran good and still was there, but he went through the motions. I was in trouble at the 5/8 pole I already asked him to hold my position and I couldn't hold it. By the time I got to the 3/8 pole, I saw the other horse was gone, and I knew he was the horse to beat."
Right: Third place finisher Stronsino.
 U Lite Up My Life wins the Philly Special Stakes |
Left: U Lite Up My Life in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said, "This was huge. Getting a placing would have been good, but a win is huge. After this, now you have to raise the bar. Any change of track, you never know. And she was coming back quick out of the Colonial win, but she seemed to be well. She's a big, heavy filly, so you give it a shot, but you don't know if you're gonna fire either."
Right: U Lite Up My Life in the post parade.
Left: Second place finisher Scalable in the post parade. The Todd Pletcher trainee improved her record to 6 wins, 3 seconds, and 2 thirds in 21 starts, earning $812,478 for owner Repole Stable.
Right: Third place finisher Sugar Fish in the post parade. The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee improved her record to 4 wins, 2 seconds, and 2 thirds in 15 starts, earning $462,600 for owner Miller Racing.
Left: The horses break from the gate for the Philly Special Stakes.
Right: The buglers perform the "Call to the Post" before the Philly Special Stakes.
Back to Horse-Races.Net main page
| Search Horse-Races.Net: |
