Dry Powder, a 3-year-old filly trained by Chad Summers, kicked away in a deep field of 13 to win the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx Racing on Tuesday. It was a meaningful victory for Summers, who has close ties with those who cared for Cathryn Sophia during her brilliant racing career. “It was a full-circle moment,” Summers said. When Summers thinks of Cathryn Sophia, he thinks of his earliest days as a trainer in 2017, a vulnerable period in an unforgiving industry. At the time, he shared a barn with trainers John and Tyler Servis. The year before, John guided Cathryn Sophia to a victory in the Kentucky Oaks, the jewel in her stellar nine-race career. While Summers was thrust into the limelight as the new trainer of sprinting star Mind Your Biscuits in his first year, Servis’s staff became invaluable sources of guidance behind the scenes. Jerry Ortega, Cathryn Sophia’s exercise rider, galloped Mind Your Biscuits several times while Cathryn Sophia’s groom, Harcourt “Harry” Meyers, introduced Summers to the backstretch in many ways. “Harry was one of the nicest guys when I first came on the track,” Summers said. “He really helped me and taught me a lot of things.” Meyers passed away several years ago, and when Summers shipped Dry Powder to a stall set aside in Servis’s barn, memories from those early days with the groom came flooding back. Summers dedicated Dry Powder’s victory in the Cathryn Sophia to his old friend, remembering that Meyers loved the Kentucky Oaks winner like no one else could. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Closing at 7-1 odds, Dry Powder got away from many bettors. Before a dull effort in the Grade 1 Coaching Club America Oaks at Saratoga last month, she missed by a head in the $125,000 Wilton at Aqueduct. That performance in June turned out to be a more meaningful prelude to her victory on Tuesday, as she kicked away to win the Cathryn Sophia by 4 1/4 lengths and paid $17 to win. “We were very disappointed in the CCA Oaks,” Summers said. “She’s a really nice filly and I think she’s shown up every time when you let her do what she wants to do.” Breaking from post 11, it was especially important for Dry Powder to secure a comfortable early position, and Luis Saez successfully urged her into third. She avoided a wide trip into the first turn and stalked outside of early leaders Taliesin and Fede through an opening quarter-mile in 23.23. While an army of rivals jockeyed for position behind her, Dry Powder continued cruising along while the pacesetters ran the half-mile in 46.78. Heading into the far turn, Saez urged his filly forward and she responded immediately, taking over and opening a commanding two-length lead into the stretch. Disco Rules made a determined bid from fifth and Ourdaydreaminggirl made a late charge from well back, but those closing longshots never had a chance to catch Dry Powder, who powered home to complete the mile and 70 yards in 1:40.59. Ourdaydreaminggirl, trained by Lou Linder Jr., sustained her belated rally to finish second at 18-1. She finished 1 3/4 lengths ahead of Disco Rules, the 16-1 third-place finisher for trainer Riley Mott. Dry Powder helped Summers reconnect with old friends at Parx on Tuesday, and the filly may return to Pennsylvania soon. Summers said that the plan was always to work toward the Grade 1 Cotillion, and Dry Powder certainly passed this test. Proceeding to the Cotillion may lead to a rematch with Scottish Lassie, who defeated her by 21 1/2 lengths in the Coaching Club America Oaks. State Representative’s Sprint Back home at Parx Racing, Buccherino weathered an early speed duel and kicked away to earn a hard-fought victory in the $75,000 State Representative’s Sprint Stakes. The 4-year-old colt has now earned five of his seven career victories at Parx. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  “He loves the track there because it’s deep,” trainer Alfredo Velazquez said. “It was harder today because of all the rain, but he still ran his race.” Velazquez said that he was glad to give Buccherino a chance over his home track after switching him to turf last time out in the $100,000 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park. Though he held his own to finish fourth that day, it didn’t stack up to his form on dirt, especially at Parx. Between his maiden victory as a juvenile in 2023, his first stakes win in 2024, and a game third-place finish in his only graded stakes try in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob, Buccherino has developed a special connection to Parx. The betting public has clearly caught on, as he went off at 2-5, won by 2 3/4 lengths, and paid $2.80 to win. When most of the six runners broke well and went for the early lead, Buccherino and jockey Paco Lopez had to hustle from the rail to gain the early advantage. They were joined on the outside by Twisted Ride, a 21-1 longshot with similar intentions under Andy Hernandez. “We didn’t want to push him too hard,” Velazquez said. “The track was very hard today and he has hoof problems. I didn’t want to go head to head, [we wanted to] keep the pace slow if we could. But then he just opened up.” Buccherino led by a head through a quarter in 22.46 and Twisted Ride didn’t yield a step as the top pair continued on the backstretch. Maintaining his short lead, Buccherino completed a half-mile in 45.41 when Caramel Chip, a 7-year-old horse trained by Carlos David, began moving forward from third, looming large outside of the front-runners under Samuel Marin. When Caramel Chip joined Buccherino and Twisted Ride in the top flight heading for home, it seemed like the 9-2 second choice was poised to spring an upset. Both pacesetters dug in, however, and Buccherino found even more to pull away approaching the wire. He completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.34. Caramel Chip, who seemed more than ready to drive past the early leaders in the stretch, only prevailed by a nose for second over the Mike Moore-trained Twisted Ride. Mayor’s Mile Stakes A severe lunge out of the gate was not enough to stop Offaly Cool, who closed from far back to win the $75,000 Mayor’s Mile Stakes. The 5-year-old gelding has now won three stakes in his career, all at Parx, and this one was arguably his gutsiest. Though he went off at 4-5 in the Mayor’s Mile, Offaly Cool’s race seemed all but finished when he lunged out of the gate and bobbled badly, ceding massive ground to his five rivals entering the first turn. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Well behind in sixth, Offaly Cool didn’t get any help from the early leader, as 8-1 outsider Tuskegee Airmen completed the opening quarter-mile in 24.76. Offaly Cool managed to pick off one rival through a slightly quicker half-mile in 47.63, but he still had plenty of work to do as several stalking contenders made early bids for the lead. Far Mo Power, Duke of Gloucester, and 9-5 second choice Bendoog jockeyed for position throughout the race, and all three advanced on the far turn to create a new top flight entering the stretch. Offaly Cool was behind the trio turning for home when jockey Abner Adorno spotted a gap on the inside and drove him down toward the rail. Far Mo Power took a short lead over Bendoog entering the stretch and ran on well, but neither runner had an answer for Offaly Cool, who cut the corner and was fully extended to the wire. After nearly falling on his face at the start, he won by a length for trainer Jacinto Solis, completing an eventful mile in 1:36.15. Far Mo Power, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Lou Linder Jr., held on to second by 1 1/4 lengths over Bendoog, who came up short in his Parx debut for Bill Mott. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.