Chilly in Charge romps in off-turf Crowd Pleaser

Moving the Saturday races from the turf to the main track following earlier rain at Parx Racing certainly agreed with the winners of a pair of restricted six-figure stakes at the suburban Philadelphia track.

Chilly in Charge, ridden by Angel Rodriguez, always had the look of a winner in the $102,450 Crowd Pleaser Stakes, stalking the pace before proceeding to a 12-length romp. Wrong Color was second and Kelli’s Smile was third in a field of seven Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds.

Chilly in Charge, trained by Miguel Vera for Newtown Anner Stud, returned $3.80 as heavy favorite after finishing 1 1/16 miles in 1:47.51 over a fast track. The winner is a Take Charge Indy colt who was coming off a maiden victory over the Woodbine synthetic.

One race later, Wildcat Combat ($17.80) fended off an inside rally by Afleet Tizzy for a one-length triumph in the $114,250 Power by Far Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares. The five-furlong race went in 58.72 seconds over the fast main track, with a field of 10 going postward.

Wildcat Combat, ridden by Dexter Haddock, had made 13 of her 17 prior starts on dirt. The 5-year-old Messner mare is trained by Miguel Penaloza for Lyno Maraspin.

A third Saturday feature, the $75,000 Turning for Home, was run under starter-handicap conditions at 1 1/16 miles. The winner from well off the pace was His Royal Majesty ($34.60), with Frankie Pennington riding the gray Kentucky-bred gelding for trainer Marcos Zulueta.

The winning time for a race originally slated for the dirt was 1:46.60. Moon Gate Warrior was second and Dirt In Your Face was third in a field of 11 older horses.