Parx: Full Liquidity back looking for second Gift of the Magi victory
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It’s not that easy for a horse to qualify for the Gift of the Magi starter handicap, the annual Christmas Eve feature at Parx Racing, especially after winning the event. So that alone makes Full Liquidity something special.
In order to be eligible for the seven-furlong Gift of the Magi, which carries a purse of $45,000 as Tuesday’s fifth race at 2:13 p.m. Eastern, a horse must have started for a claiming price of $12,500 or less this year. The race is also restricted to horses who have gone winless the entire season, with preference given to those who have made the most starts locally.
Last Christmas Eve, Full Liquidity ended a seven-race losing streak for 2012 when he rallied from last of 10 and passed three rivals in the final furlong to score by a half-length at 8-1. Winless in nine subsequent starts this year, Full Liquidity looks capable of winning the Gift of the Magi a second time, following a near-miss in a $5,000 starter allowance on Nov. 30.
In that one-mile race, the 6-year-old Full Liquidity held the lead after seven furlongs, only to be overtaken by a half-length at the finish. His six opponents Tuesday, whose collective record in 2013 is 0 for 58, include a dangerous coupled entry for trainer Phil Aristone and a speedy sprinter who usually prefers distances shorter than seven furlongs.
The 6-year-old Closing Vision, trained by Scott Lake, is cross-entered in a six-furlong race for $5,000 claimers on Monday at Parx, where he is listed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite. The purse of $14,000, however, pales in comparison to what Closing Vision can run for on Tuesday.
The last time Closing Vision raced beyond six furlongs, he faded to fifth in the final eighth of a mile in the 6 1/2-furlong Bensalem in March 2012. His last win in a race longer than six furlongs came in a $25,000 starter allowance in July 2010.
Aristone, third in the Parx trainer standings, will send out Magic Lion, cutting back in distance and making his first start off a claim, and I’mtrulyinthemood, stretching out making his second start off a claim.
The 6-year-old Magic Lion, claimed for $5,000 on Nov. 12, has made his last four starts around two turns. Twice in that span, he has been within striking range of the leader at the stretch call, but was unable to pass any horses in deep stretch.
The 7-year-old I’mtrulyinthemood, claimed for $5,000 on Oct. 15, returns to seven furlongs after a lackluster effort going 5 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 9. One of his two runner-up finishes this year came in a seven-furlong race at Parx in August.