Ninetyprcentmaddie back with statebreds in Crowd Pleaser
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With rain projected in the area, the fate of two $100,000 turf stakes for Pennsylvania-breds on Monday at Parx Racing is at the mercy of Mother Nature.
Ninetyprcentmaddie, the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 Crowd Pleaser for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, wouldn’t mind if the race is moved to dirt.
“That’s just what we’re looking for,” trainer Butch Reid said.
A multiple stakes winner at Parx, Ninetyprcentmaddie has raced exclusively on the main track and enters the Crowd Pleaser following two game efforts out of town.
Stretched out to nine furlongs in the Federico Tesio on April 15 at Laurel, Ninetyprcentmaddie did all the dirty work on the lead before falling a head shy to Perform. Four weeks later, Ninetyprcentmaddie finished a solid third in Monmouth’s Long Branch Stakes.
“When you got a little Pennsylvania-bred homebred that’s competing out there against the open guys, it’s really pretty special,” Reid said.
Reid will try something different with Ninetyprcentmaddie in the Crowd Pleaser.
“He’s going to be a first-time gelding,” Reid added. “He’s had a little difficulty switching leads and a couple of things like that. Since we’ve done the operation, he’s been switching leads right on time.”
Reid said that he would consider starting Ninetyprcentmaddie on hard turf, but he’d “probably” come out if the grass comes up soft.
Lord of the Navy and Winnin’onweekends both own sharp dirt form.
Lord of the Navy, trained by Mike Maker, won both starts sprinting at Parx this year by a combined 17 1/4 lengths. He has good speed and should be part of a strong pace along with stretch-out sprinter Rabbit.
Winnin’onweekends earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure when destroying a field of $40,000 “two-life” claimers by 17 1/4 lengths on May 17. That was the gray gelding’s first start with blinkers.
“I think it’s a combination of blinkers and the fact that we castrated him, and he’s finally starting to mature because of it,” trainer John Servis said. “He was big goof-off before. He just wasn’t focusing.”
Although both of Winnin’onweekends’s victories came when close to the pace, Servis feels confident that the gelding can sit and finish if necessary. He also is excited to run him on the turf if the weather holds.
“With his pedigree, I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t handle it,” Servis said.
If the race stays on turf, A Western Yarn looms a strong contender. Third in the Columbia Stakes on March 11 at Tampa Bay, the Eastwood colt might have been compromised by an awkward start when last of nine in the James W. Murphy at Pimlico last month. He drops into the statebred ranks for the first time since last summer.
Time to Cruise, Girlfromouterspace, Mr Flowers, Movisitor, and Fierce and Strong complete the field.
Power By Far
Roses for Debra was a very impressive winner of a second-level allowance when making her turf debut at Pimlico and is listed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the $100,000 Power By Far for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares at five furlongs on turf.
The Liam’s Map filly returned from a 218-day layoff to register a rallying 2 1/2-length victory with a 94 Beyer in her first start for trainer Christophe Clement.
While Clement is undecided as to whether he’ll start Roses for Debra on dirt, he mentioned that Roses for Debra “is training very well” and that he “hopes the race stays on the grass.”
Midnight in Alaska hasn’t been headed in her last three dirt starts for trainer Kate DeMasi. She has some turf pedigree as her sire, Almasty, captured the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf Cup at Churchill Downs
Midnight in Alaska is one of the expected pacesetters on Monday along with Empress Deona, who faces stakes company for the first time after placing third in an $80,000 claimer on dirt on May 28 at Monmouth.
Shoshanah returned from a lengthy layoff to wire a first-level allowance sprinting on turf on May 19 at Penn National. Trained by Kyle Horlacher, the Weigelia filly is another that should show gate speed.
Hey Mamaluke won this race in 2021 when it was rained off the grass, and finished a close second in last year’s edition, also contested on the dirt.
La Cienega grabbed two of her last three dirt starts, and now tries turf for the first time after moving into the Jamie Ness barn. Both the sire and dam were successful on turf.
Hidden Cache, Hipnotizada, and Castilleja also entered. Parx stakes winner Tappin Josie starts main track only.
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