Midnight Parade surges in Imply Stakes

BENSALEM, Pa. - Trainer Bernard Houghton won seven stakes and $772,728 in purse money with the Pennsylvania-bred Imply, a filly he campaigned between 2015 and 2019.

Thus, it was only fitting that Houghton's Midnight Parade captured the $200,000 Imply Stakes for juvenile fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on Saturday at Parx Racing.

The Imply was one of two $200,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs on the card along with the Prince Lucky for colts and geldings.

Flor de Sombra was the odds-on favorite based on her first two starts, both impressive gate-to-wire victories. She broke a beat slow this afternoon but rushed up under Mychel Sanchez to make a clear lead through fractions of 22.16 and 45.17 seconds.

Meanwhile, rail-drawn Midnight Parade moved forward along the inside to sit pocketed entering the turn. She eased to the outside and in the clear at the five-sixteenths and set sail after Flor de Sombra inside the quarter pole.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

Midnight Parade changed leads on cue, drove past a tired Flor de Sombra, and drew off to win by two lengths over rail-skimming Pachelbel.

Flor de Sombra was another 1 3/4 lengths behind in third. Completing the order of finish were Marion Grace, Uptown Amanda, Tempted to Touch, Freydis and Winning Moon. Confirmed Star scratched.

Midnight Parade polished off the distance in 1:19.41 seconds and returned $12.60 as the third choice in the wagering.

"I told David that we were in a bad post position and if there was any chance to get off the inside to do it," Houghton said. "I always thought she would like the 6 1/2 furlongs."

Midnight Parade won her career debut on Sept. 1 in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Penn National. "She was very mature and professional. When she worked, the jockeys always had a strong hold of her. You could tell she had more under the hood," Houghton said.

Midnight Parade is the first stakes winner sired by first-crop stallion Hoppertunity. She was bred by Hillman Racing and is owned by Elizabeth Houghton.

Houghton mentioned the $200,000 Shamrock Rose Stakes for statebred 2-year-old fillies at Penn National on Nov. 25 as Midnight Parade's next start, but is anxious to stretch her out in distance next year.

*Prince Lucky

Gordian Knot made it 2 for 2 in his promising young career after a solid two-length victory over Keithsendshellooo in the Prince Lucky.

A homebred son of Social Inclusion owned by Joseph Imbesi, Gordian Knot made his career debut at Parx on Aug. 22, and made quite the impression. He sat just off the pace before drawing away to win by seven lengths.

That race surprised trainer Guadalupe Preciado. "He really never showed any speed in the morning," Preciado said earlier in the week.

In the early stages of the Prince Lucky, Gordian Knot and jockey Mychel Sanchez settled outside and off the pace as Respirator carved out an opening fraction of 22.47 seconds.

Gordian Knot hit his best stride late on the backstretch, advanced outside of Respirator, and took over the lead for good after a half-mile in 45.99. Gordian Knot drifted out a few paths in the stretch but had plenty left to deny the runner-up.

Veeson finished another 3 1/4 lengths behind in third with Respirator, In Spades, Zoppi Fischbein, Upstate and Back and Never too Much completing the order of finish.

"It was an awesome trip," Sanchez said. "I put him on the bit, and I felt so comfortable the whole way. He's like an older horse. He's very mature and getting better."

Gordian Knot ran the distance in 1:18.19 and returned $2.80 to win. He took over the chalky role after Ninetyprcentmaddie was scratched by the vet during the warmup.

"After the other horse scratched, we had a better shot," Preciado said. "For a 2-year-old, he's very professional."

Preciado doesn't have anything picked out for Gordian Knot's next race, but noted that the colt has strong size. He is looking forward to eventually stretching him out in distance.

Ninetyprcentmaddie's trainer, Butch Reid, believes the unbeaten colt avoided serious injury.

"He was a little bit rocky," Reid said. "The vet did the right thing. He seems to come back clean. I'm hoping it's just a foot abscess.”

*Alphabet Soup

Favored Buy Land and See gave trainer Guadalupe Preciado his third stakes victory on the card when the 5-year-old gelding skipped home in the $200,000 Alphabet Soup at 1 1/16 miles over firm turf.

Another homebred owned by Imbesi and ridden by Sanchez, Buy Land and See broke nicely from the rail post position, and contested the early pace along with 87-1 outsider O'Brien through an opening quarter in 23.17 seconds.

Buy Land and See soon asserted himself as the primary pacesetter, and he cruised through fractions of 47.56 and 1:11.91 before being set down for the drive.

The son of Cairo Prince opened a six-length lead in midstretch, then finished the race off without much fuss, scoring by 3 1/4 lengths over Midnight Hauler. It was a nose back to Crisper in third.

Next came defending champion You Must Chill, Wait for It, Stonegate, O'Brien, Vine Jet, and Irish Cork. Glacier Express scratched.

Buy Land and See ran the distance in 1:42.27 seconds and returned $3.80 as the betting favorite.

Buy Land and See made his first start for Preciado after being campaigned earlier in his career by Steve Klesaris and Anthony Dutrow.

A stakes winner at Belmont against open company at 2, Buy Land and See captured the With Anticipation for Pennsylvania-breds at Penn National on June 3 before finishing sixth in a third-level allowance for Dutrow on Aug. 4, his final start before the Alphabet Soup.

"He was much the best in this race," Preciado said. "He's Pennsylvania-bred. Maybe we'll take him to the farm and wait for next year."

*Plum Pretty

Trainer John Servis ran one-two in the Plum Pretty for fillies and mares at 1 Mile, 70 Yards, but it wasn’t the one the public expected to win that took home the lion’s share of the $200,000 purse.

Leader of the Band went off as the 3-10 favorite based on big-Beyer performances in her two prior starts, a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher at Monmouth on July 23, and a victory in the restricted Summer Colony at Saratoga on Aug. 19.

Leader of the Band ran quite well, but stablemate Love in the Air was simply better.

A daughter of Constitution bred by Blackstone Farm and owned by Main Line Racing Stable, Love in the Air took advantage of speedy Chub Wagon’s scratch to make the lead and the rail going into the first turn.

Jockey Paco Lopez meted out reasonable fractions of 24.22 and 48.43 seconds while Leader of the Band wound up losing ground four wide after breaking from the far outside post position in the seven-horse field.

Leader of the Band threatened briefly outside Love in the Air late on the second turn, but she was too much to overcome from a pace standpoint.

At the wire, it was Love in the Air by two lengths over Leader of the Band with Ninetypercentbrynn another 4 1/4 lengths back in third. Servis-trained Midnight Obsession ran fourth, followed by New Hire, Trolley Ride and Titanic Rose.

“She moved really nice,” Servis said. “Actually, with my other filly, Leader of the Band, dragging Johnny [jockey John Velazquez] down the backside, I was afraid he might go too soon and kill each other off.”

Love in the Air finished up in 1:42.69 and paid $7.60 as the second betting choice.

Love in the Air began her career for trainer Mark Casse but was purchased by her current connections for $130,000 last summer at Fasig-Tipton.

“We bought her, sent her right to the track, and I literally trained her three days,” Servis said about Love in the Air. “She wasn’t going well. Nothing major, just wasn’t going good. We kicked her out, gave her plenty of time, and she’s come back a racehorse.”

Love in the Air has won four of 12 starts for earnings of $305,331. The Plum Pretty was her second stakes victory.

Servis mentioned that both Love in the Air and Leader of the Band are due for some well-deserved time off.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.