The Critical Way gets back with statebreds

Parx has a pair of $100,000 Pennsylvania-bred stakes on Saturday, the Crowd Pleaser, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-olds, and the Marshall Jenney, a five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up.

Five additional Pennsylvania-bred stakes will be run at Parx the first weekend in September.

The Jenney is the eighth of nine Saturday races at Parx. The Critical Way, a well-traveled 4-year-old, is the horse to beat. The Critical Way will be making his first start for the Runnymede Farm of Gregory and Caroline Bentley and trainer Eddie Graham.

A son of Tizway, The Critical Way was purchased for $75,000 by owner-trainer Mick Ruis at the 2016 Ocala Breeders’ Sales June 2-year-olds and horses of racing age auction. He made his first 10 starts for Ruis, including seven races in California and the most recent two at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.

In his lone Pennsylvania start, The Critical Way won the 2017 Danzig Stakes at Penn National. Two starts back at Keeneland, The Critical Way won a second-level Keeneland allowance sprint over yielding turf by 2 1/2 lengths. In all, he is 4 for 10 with earnings of $175,833.

The Bentleys seem to have made a savvy move bringing The Critical Way home. He is even-money on the Parx morning line. Leading rider Frankie Pennington is named to ride.

The top challengers in the 12-horse Jenney are Piper Hill, who is coming off a first-level optional-claiming victory at Delaware Park for Dale Capuano, and Tale of E Dubai, who won a $20,000 claiming main-track sprint at Belmont Park on June 23. He was claimed from trainer Michelle Nevin in that race and is now in the barn of Gregory DiPrima.

The Crowd Pleaser has attracted a competitive field of nine. Two of the leading contenders are the filly Sweet Bye and Bye, who has won three straight races, all for Steve Klesaris, and Smooth B, who has improved markedly since trainer Butch Reid fitted him with blinkers.

Sweet Bye and Bye is undefeated in three starts this year. She has won a maiden race and first- and second-level allowance races in statebred company. This will be her first race against males, but she is quick and may bounce to the lead. She exits a one-mile turf victory at Parx on June 19.

Carol Cedeno, who has been red-hot at Delaware Park, picks up the mount.

Smooth B won a first-level Pennsylvania-bred allowance by nine lengths in his first start with blinkers. He came back to win the Danzig Stakes on the Penn Mile undercard at Penn National in June by three lengths.

Most recently, Smooth B finished second to Pop Keenan in an open second-level optional claimer at Parx. Pop Keenan is 5 for 11.

Jockey Angel Arroyo will be in to ride.

◗ Parx has added an Aug. 4 stakes to its schedule, the $100,000 Jose L. Flores Memorial, a 6 1/2-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. The race is named for the longtime local rider who died following a racing accident in March.