Foggy Night takes another step toward Cotillion with Cathryn Sophia win
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After Foggy Night upset the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at 14-1 odds on July 1, trainer Butch Reid said that a race like the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes was a “dream down the road.”
That dream came one step closer to reality at Parx Racing on Tuesday after Foggy Night won the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia, the local prep for the Sept. 23 Cotillion, for 3-year-old fillies at a mile 70 yards.
The Cathryn Sophia was one of three undercard stakes on Tuesday’s Smarty Jones program with the $100,000 Parx Dash for 3-year-olds and upward at five furlongs on turf and the $75,000 Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint for 3-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs.
There wasn’t much early pace in the Cathryn Sophia, and Yesternight made a rated lead while racing just off the inside. She stepped the first quarter in 23.89 seconds, then stepped on the brakes to slow things down through a half-mile split of 49.29.
Sensing the slow fractions at the half, jockey Luis Saez urged Foggy Night along to press Yesternight from the rail. Those two sprinted away after six furlongs in 1:15.23 before Foggy Night poked a head in front for good in upper stretch.
Foggy Night stayed strong under the wire to prevail by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:47.34 seconds. Yesternight held second, a half-length ahead of Majestic Creed in third. Next under the wire were Miranda’s Rocky, Stellar Lady, favored Southlawn, and Promiseher America. Awesome Pic scratched.
Foggy Night paid $7.60 as the second choice in the wagering.
After Foggy Night’s breakthrough effort at Delaware, she finished second, beaten 10 1/4 lengths by the impressive Occult, in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 29.
Parx-based Reid told Daily Racing Form last week that he was “happy to be at home to run [Foggy Night] out of her own stall” after shipping her out of the state for her last two starts.
A filly by Khozan bred in Florida by Brent and Crystal Fernung, Foggy Night was purchased for $20,000 as an OBS April 2-year-old by Pine Brook Farm. She has notched four wins from ten starts for earnings of $443,750.
Parx Dash
It was apparent from the past performances that Nobody Listens likes to win races, and his determination was on display in the Parx Dash.
The 5-year-old gelding sat a good pocket trip under Saez, angled three wide into the stretch, then wore down the two pacesetters despite being herded out a bit in the lane. It was the 13th win from 25 starts for the Indiana-bred son of Conveyance.
Just Jeremy and Yes I Am Free bounced out to the lead, and they went head-and-head for early supremacy through an opening quarter of 23.03 seconds over the firm turf course.
They continued their dispute into the stretch and were still going at it after a half in 46.52, but Nobody Listens had angled into the clear and was in full flight on the outside.
At the finish, it was Nobody Listens by a half-length over Just Jeremy in 58.83 seconds. Yes I Am Free finished a neck back in third. Following a stewards’ inquiry and jockey objection from Emisael Jaramillo, the rider of Yes I Am Free, Just Jeremy was disqualified and placed third for drifting out and causing stretch interference.
Patriarch Artie, favored Alogon, Alexis S, Boat’s a Rockin, and Surprise Boss completed the order of finish. Spun and Won, Pirate Rick, Fore Harp, and Ebben scratched. Nobody Listens returned $7.80 as the third choice in the betting.
Trained by Tim Eggleston for Matt Kwiatkowski, Jason Kaylor, and Roger Browning, Nobody Listens has captured stakes races on dirt, turf, and synthetic. The Parx Dash was his third consecutive victory.
Bred by Southern Chase Farm, Karen Dodd, and Greg Dodd, Nobody Listens hails from the female family of Grade 1-winning millionaire Bonapaw.
The Parx Dash is the local prep for the Grade 3, $250,000 Turf Monster Stakes on Sept. 23.
Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint
The wire came in the nick of time for odds-on favorite Gordian Knot as the Pennsylvania-bred just held off Praetorian Guard's determined late charge in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Memorial.
Trained by Guadalupe Preciado, Gordian Knot tracked three wide and in the clear as Stud Lovin and Joey Freshwater sparred through fractions of 22.39 and 46.17 seconds.
Jockey Silvestre Gonzalez made his move aboard Gordian Knot midway on the turn, and they took control from Stud Lovin inside the three-sixteenths pole. Gordian Knot struck the lead, but Praetorian Guard, who was well back in the early stages, caught the eye with a wide rally.
On the line, it was Gordian Knot by a neck in 1:19.83. The chalk paid $3.60 to win. Stud Lovin finished another 1 1/2 lengths back in third. Then came Depoli, No Confession, Awesome Strong, and Joey Freshwater.
Gordian Knot won his first three starts, two in stakes competition, before completing his juvenile campaign with a third-place finish in the Pennsylvania Nursery.
After a failed turf experiment at Gulfstream to kick off his 3-year-old season, Gordian Knot returned to dirt with a rallying victory in Penn National's Danzig on June 2. In his final start before the Salvatore M. DeBunda, Gordian Knot captured an allowance at Parx on July 12.
A homebred owned by Joseph Imbesi, Gordian Knot is a gelded son of Social Inclusion. He has won six of eight starts for lifetime earnings of $386,960 The Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint might serve as a prep for Parx's Grade 2, $400,000 Gallant Bob Stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs on Sept. 23.
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