Five stakes added to Fall Festival

Parx Racing has added five $150,000 stakes to its Fall Festival, where overnight purses at the Bensalem, Pa., track will average $500,000 a day.

Director of Racing Sam Elliott wanted to make sure Parx had a stakes each Saturday throughout the festival.

“The first stakes, which is for 3-year-olds and up, will be named after the winner of the previous year’s Pennsylvania Derby,” Elliott said. “This year’s will be the Bayern, and it will be run on Pennsylvania Derby Day, Sept. 19. The name of the race will change each year. We’re trying to start a little tradition.”

The Bayern will be run at 1 1/16 miles. It is written for 3-year-olds and up with the hope that the horse it is named for might return and run in it as an older horse.

“We’re going to try and build this into a nice race over time,” Elliott said.

The other new stakes are the Hall of Fame, for 2-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 26; The Valley Forge, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up Oct. 3; the Bensalem Stakes, for fillies and mares at a mile and 70 yards Oct. 10; and the Roamin Rachel, for fillies and mares at six furlongs Oct. 17.

Parx will race through Tuesday, Aug. 11, and then take a break before the festival begins Aug. 29. The Fall Festival will run through Oct. 20.

Elliott said he hopes to have the festival condition book out by Monday. Horsemen stabled at Parx will have first preference for getting into races during the festival.