Albano, Protonico head Smarty Jones probables

September is the month when Parx Racing comes alive.

On Sept. 20, the suburban Philadelphia track will host four stakes, including the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby and Grade 1 Cotillion. Those four races will offer combined purses of $2,375,000, and that figure does not include the owner and trainer bonuses that Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome ($200,000) and Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist ($100,000) would earn for simply starting in the Pennsylvania Derby. Both horses are under consideration for the race.

This Monday, on Labor Day, Parx will offer up an appetizer of sorts when its spreads $1 million over four stakes. The feature is the Grade 3, $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile and 70 yards.

The undercard consists of the Grade 3, $300,000 Turf Monster Handicap, a five-furlong turf sprint; the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup at 1 1/2 miles on the main track; and the $200,000 Turf Amazon, a turf sprint for fillies and mares.

Smarty Jones: The Smarty Jones favorites appear to be Haskell runner-up Albano, trained by Larry Jones, and the Todd Pletcher-trained Protonico, who finished third, beaten a head by Travers winner V. E. Day, in the restricted Curlin Stakes at Saratoga on July 25.

Albano was beaten 7 1/4 lengths by Bayern in the Haskell. He was up to get the place from Wildcat Red in the final sixteenth of a mile.

“Bayern was just too hot for us to handle that day but we were very pleased with our horse’s performance,” Jones said. “We’re looking forward to the Smarty Jones.”

Other expected starters include Grade 3 Iowa Derby winner Jessica’s Star, Spectacular Bid winner Just Call Kenny, and the locally based Lynx and Camden Street.

Turf Monster: The Turf Monster could be the race of the day. The East Coast turf-sprint division is strong, and trainer Doug O’Neill has shipped Private Zone in from California for a belated 2014 debut. In his last start, Private Zone was second in the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct last November.

The co-highweights at 123 pounds are Ben’s Cat, who has won this race twice, and Tightend Touchdown.

Last time out in the Parx Dash, Ben’s Cat was up in the last jump to beat Tightend Touchdown by a nose. It was another nose back to Marchman in third. Marchman is expected to ship in from Churchill Downs for a rematch.

Ben’s Cat had his first official work since the July 12 Parx Dash on Tuesday at Laurel Park, but trainer King Leatherbury said not to worry, all is well.

“He’s been fine. I gave him another slow work, too, but it didn’t make the tab,” he said. “This has been kind of a big break for him but I didn’t want to go and try to squeeze another race in.”

Also expected are Bold Thunder and Stormofthecentury, who finished fourth and sixth in the Parx Dash. Stormofthecentury won this race a year ago.

Greenwood Cup: The Greenwood Cup will match Abraham, who has won two in a row for Bill Mott, against Micromanage, who is coming off an 8 1/2-length win in the 1 3/4-mile Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga for Pletcher.

Trainer Peter Miller has shipped in South American Group 1 winner Lideris from California.

Turf Amazon: The top contenders include Joya Real, a winner of two in a row, including the Fort Monmouth Stakes; Jewel of a Cat, who was beaten three-quarters of a length by the red-hot Free as a Bird in the Caress Stakes at Saratoga; and Quality Lass, who may have the best speed of the race probables.