Carmelina was an unexpected pacesetter in the $100,000 Unique Bella at Parx Racing on Sunday, but the heavy favorite adapted well under Paco Lopez to win the statebred race by 2 1/2 lengths. Coming off a career-best allowance victory in open company, she is now unbeaten in two starts this year for trainer Butch Reid. “She actually had an excuse to bounce a little if she wanted, that was a lifetime best last start,” Reid said. “To come back with an effort like that was really something special.” Reid entered three horses in the field of six for the Unique Bella, and the 6-year-old mare Disco Ebo was expected to be the front-runner of the trio. But after Disco Ebo suffered a profoundly awkward start over the sloppy track, lunging badly at the break, Lopez decided to guide Carmelina to the front instead. Last time out, Carmelina seemed to prefer having a clear target in front of her, and Lopez told Reid after the race Sunday that he had trouble keeping her focused on the backstretch. Completing the opening quarter-mile in 23.03 seconds, she was pushed along on the front end by Chapa, third-place finisher behind Carmelina in the allowance at Parx last month. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Though Chapa managed to pressure Reid’s filly through a half-mile in 45.86 seconds in the Unique Bella, she didn’t get much closer at the wire than she did last time and faded in the stretch. Carmelina easily kicked away to finish the six-furlong race in 1:10.19, paying $2.80 to win. Confirmed Star, Reid’s third runner in the race, made up ground and passed Chapa in the stretch to finish second at 11-1 odds. It may not have been the Reid exacta many were expecting, as the mare had finished 6 1/2 lengths behind Carmelina when they faced off in May. “We figured it was going to be the other two on or near the lead with Confirmed Star closing, and she certainly did her job,” Reid said. With another statebred stakes victory to her name, Carmelina will likely return to open company soon. Reid entered her in several graded stakes last year without much success, but there are many steps to take from her productive performance Sunday. Houghton Shuffle overcomes early trouble in Page McKenney Houghton Shuffle, a homebred 5-year-old gelding trained by Bernie Houghton, overcame a tight break and closed fast to win the $100,000 Page McKenney Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds at Parx Racing on Sunday. Jockey David Cora, who has ridden Houghton Shuffle in all 12 career starts, was clearly proud of his patient ride, in which he guided the improving gelding through the field and had just enough room at the wire. “It was a rough trip from the go,” Cora said. “The horses inside and outside of me smashed me very hard, and if I check, I basically won’t win the race. But this horse has a big heart, so he kept pushing through.” Several runners on the outside seemed to at least brush out of the gate in the Page McKenney, which slowed Houghton Shuffle and forced Harp’s Hot Corner, a sharp contender for Jamie Ness, to check back to last. Cora and Houghton Shuffle were compromised by the start, but several runners soon began mixing it up on the front end, setting hot fractions to help the closers along. Twisted Ride, a 10-1 outsider, completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.41 seconds, and Kohler’s, trained by John Servis, rushed to take command through a half-mile in 45.44. Houghton Shuffle continued moving forward while rivals sparred in front of him, moving into fourth on the far turn and then second at the top of the stretch. Kohler’s and Frankie Pennington outlasted the other front-runners and tried to kick away, but Houghton Shuffle was already too close and managed to grind out a half-length victory. In his stakes debut, he paid $10.40 to win and finished the six-furlong race in 1:10.33 over the sloppy surface. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Butch Reid runner Ninetyprcentmaddie, bottled up behind the early leaders for much of the race, tried to rally late but had to settle for third. Bred and owned by Melissa Houghton, Bernie Houghton’s sister-in-law, Houghton Shuffle has spent most of his career in allowance competition at Penn National. Returning from a layoff in May, he made his first start at Parx and just missed in an open-company allowance behind Buccherino, next-out winner of the $100,000 Mr. Prospector. His win on Sunday further cements his status as a rising star in these local ranks. After vying for the early lead in the Page McKenney on Sunday, 5-year-old gelding Gun Collector suffered a catastrophic injury after running a quarter-mile and was euthanized. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.