Two State-Bred Stakes on Saturday Card

Saturday Parx Racing will host a pair of state-bred stakes on the grass, the $75,000 Crowd Pleaser Stakes and the $75,000 Power By Far Handicap. The Crowd Pleaser is for three year-old males at one mile and one-sixteenth while the Power By Far is for older fillies and mares at five furlongs.

Heading the field for the Crowd Pleaser are Augustin Stable’s Beyond Smart and Ivy Dell Stud’s Athelstane. Beyond Smart, a Smart Strike colt, comes from the Jonathan Sheppard barn and made three starts as a 2YO in England before coming to the U.S. for his three year-old year. His U.S. debut came in April in a special weight at Keeneland on the turf where he ran a very respectable fourth after a troubled start. He’s won both starts since then, a state-bred special weight at Presque Isle in May and first level allowance on the grass at Delaware on June 2nd. Jockey Victor Carrasco comes in for the ride. A gelded son of Bluegrass Cat, Athelstane has shown the ability already to handle dirt and turf. After three solid starts last year, he’s developed nicely this season for trainer Patrick Graham, breaking his maiden in a state-bred special weight at Penn National before winning his turf debut in a state-bred first level allowance over the Penn Nat course. Daniel Centeno has been named to ride.

Highweight in the Power By Far is Mr. Amore Stable’s Miss d’Oro. The five year-old Medaglia d’Oro mare is trying to find that form that brought her success the last two years. A stakes winner at three, she ran the race of her life last April at Aqueduct when she ran second in the G2 Distaff Handicap where she was well regarded by the public as a solid 5-1 possibility. After a third in the $75,000 My Juliet over the main track here at Parx, she ran sixth in her turf debut last time out in a tough optional claimer at Belmont. Kendrick Carmouche is set to ride for Jason Servis. Another interesting contender is Joseph Imbesi’s On a Star. The Talent Search filly has been excellent in her two career tries on the turf. She broke her maiden in her grass debut here on June 22nd, winning a state-bred special weight and then after getting roughed up at the start in a starter allowance, she nonetheless rallied from far back to get second in a very game effort. Trainer Phil Aristone has named Angel Castillo to ride.