Coffee Clique tries to extend Lynch’s hot hand in Penny Memorial

The first graded stakes of the season at Parx Racing, the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap, has drawn New York-based Grade 1 winner Coffee Clique from the barn of red-hot trainer Brian Lynch.

The Grade 3 Penny is a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares. Ten were entered, but Photo Call will be scratched to run Friday at Belmont Park.

Although Coffee Clique is winless in three starts this year, she has run very well in two of those races. Her runner-up effort to Tepin in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day was especially strong, as she was three lengths clear of the third-place runner in a 13-horse field.

Things didn’t go quite as well in her last race, when Coffee Clique was attempting to win the Grade 1 Just a Game for the second straight year. She ended up pressing a slow pace outside confirmed front-runner Discreet Marq and then was outfinished in the stretch, finishing sixth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Tepin, who is 3 for 3 this year.

“I think we just had her a little too sharp for the last race, and the rider had his hands full from the get-go,” Lynch said. “He said the jockey on the horse to his inside came out of the gate driving, and our mare kind of jumped up into the bridle.”

Lynch’s pre-race instructions to jockey Manny Franco on Saturday will be to get Coffee Clique covered up.

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“I’ve always thought she was a better filly when she gets in behind,” Lynch said. “Apart from the last race, I’m thrilled with her. I thought she ran well in her comeback at Gulfstream, and at Churchill, I thought she ran a great race.”

Lynch’s stable went 5 for 12 last week. He won three races at Belmont Park, one at Woodbine, and one at Delaware Park.

In addition to Coffee Clique, Lynch has Clearly Now in the $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship at Belmont Park on Saturday and second choice Shaman Ghost in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine on Sunday.

One factor that complicates the Penny Memorial is the lack of pace. The pack could tighten up on the backstretch, turning it into a riders’ race.

Penny Memorial, Race 8

Key Contenders

Coffee Clique (Last 3 Beyers: 95-97-94)

◗ Coffee Clique stamped herself as one of the elite members of the filly-and-mare turf division last year with back-to-back wins in the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile and Just a Game before going to the sidelines with bone bruising. She might be sitting on a breakout race.

Testa Rossi (Last 3 Beyers: 87-86-87)

◗ The slow-early, fast-late Beaugay didn’t really set up for her, and she was down along the inside for the entire stretch run.

◗ Has worked six times since the May 9 Beaugay and could wake up in a big way here.

Nellie Cashman (Last 3 Beyers: 86-88-80)

◗ Always tries hard. Kenzadargent dominated Nellie Cashman’s last race, the Miss Liberty at Monmouth, and she was only beaten a length for second.

Distorted Beauty (Last 3 Beyers: 89-88-49)

◗ Stretches out in distance off two nice turf-sprint tries. It’s possible she could be the speed in this paceless race.