Disco Chick tries to transfer good form to turf in Power By Far

The Saturday card at Parx Racing includes two turf stakes for Pennsylvania-breds, the Power By Far, a five-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, and the Crowd Pleaser, which will match 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

In the Power By Far, Disco Chick, a three-time stakes winner this year on dirt, will try turf for only the second time in her career. Disco Chick finished a well-beaten sixth in her lone grass attempt in June 2015, but she was not yet in the top form she has displayed this year while winning the My Juliet at Parx, the Skipat at Pimlico, and the statebred Foxy J G at Parx.

Trained by Parx-based Mario Serey Jr., Disco Chick is very fast. She most recently was nailed on the wire by a nose after opening up a big lead in the six-furlong Dashing Beauty Stakes at Delaware Park two weeks ago. This will be her sixth start in the last 11 weeks.

Royal Renege and Devilish Love are experienced turf runners coming into the Power By Far off victories.

Royal Renege, a 6-year-old daughter of Broken Vow trained by Elizabeth Merryman, will be starting in the Power By Far for the third straight season. She finished a closing third a year ago and was fifth in 2014. She tuned up for this race by winning a second-level statebred optional-claiming race at Penn National.

The distance of the Power By Far is a little shorter than Devilish Love may prefer. She won a second-level Pennsylvania-bred optional claimer last out going a two-turn 7 1/2 furlongs at Parx. If Disco Chick goes too fast early and tires, she could set the table for Devilish Love. Trained by Lupe Preciado, she is 5 for 16 in her career.

Wychmere is the likely favorite in the Crowd Pleaser. He has won 2 of 4 turf starts for trainer Cal Lynch, including a first-level optional claimer at Penn National on July 8. Last early in that 1 1/16-mile race, Wychmere steadily advanced into quick fractions while outside horses on the backstretch, took the lead at the top of the stretch, and pulled away to win by 6 1/2 lengths.

Saratoga Jack will be making his turf debut for trainer Miguel Vera. Two starts back at Parx, he earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure on dirt while winning a first-level optional-claiming race at a mile by 10 3/4 lengths. Last time out, he set the pace and tired in the Grade 3 Pegasus at Monmouth Park.

Mister Nofty has won statebred maiden and allowance races at Parx in his most recent starts for trainer Keith Nations. Like Saratoga Jack, he does his best running on the front end, which could help set up Wychmere’s late run.