Trainer Miguel Clement said he still feels like he’s in the honeymoon phase with Bandiagara, but the filly managed to show him a great deal in the $150,000 Penn Oaks on Friday at Penn National. With a relentless rally in her North American debut, the 3-year-old filly cleared two strong rivals to win by a length. “The expectation was always to run well,” Clement said. “I thought it was a good spot, six-horse field, the mile distance, firm turf. We were not sure to win the race, but thought she should be competitive to gain some more black type, which was ideal for a new partnership.” Clement credited Nicolas de Watrigant, the French bloodstock agent and founder of Mandore International Agency, with purchasing the filly and arranging her move to the United States. Despite entering as the 9-5 morning-line favorite, Bandiagara drifted up to 6-1 at post time. Even with Call On Me, a contender trained by Rusty Arnold, scratching from the race, bettors were still hesitant to take a chance on the European in her first stateside start. She paid $14.40 to win. Sutura, a 12-1 outsider in the field of six 3-year-old fillies, took the early lead in the Penn Oaks, her first race at a mile. Jorge Ruiz sent the pacesetter through an opening quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds and half-mile in 48.88, but the soft fractions still weren’t enough to hold off the serious players. Final Accord, the even-money favorite trained by Mark Casse, chased in second all the way around and was the first to strike, drawing alongside and sticking a head in front on the far turn. She finally put away Sutura for good in the stretch, but she still had to deal with Bandiagara and Smexy, who were closing fast from midpack positions. Earlier this week, Casse said that he didn’t love the mile for Final Accord, just as he didn’t like the 5 1/2 furlongs when she finished fourth in the Grade 3 Mamzelle last time out. He said six or seven furlongs would probably be best, but in the Penn Oaks, that additional distance proved all-important. “What she really wants to do is settle and come with a run,” Casse said. “She can't go in five, five and a half. She can't do that. They're just too fast for her. And then going a mile, she's got to be up close to the lead. With the new Belmont, she's going to have some opportunities, which we're looking forward to.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. As soon as Final Accord showed the faintest signs of fatigue, Bandiagara seemed to pounce under Manny Franco, charging forward and taking over in a hurry. She blazed home, completing the final quarter-mile in 22.92 and leaving little doubt in her first stakes victory. She ran the mile in 1:35.60. Smexy, pushed wide for most of the race, delivered a valiant effort for trainer Brendan Walsh, but compared to Bandiagara, her late rally came from slightly farther back and was not quite as sharp. She finished third by a nose behind Final Accord. Lyphard Stakes Modarosa, a Pennsylvania-bred mare trained by Riley Mott, made her triumphant return home to win the $75,000 Lyphard Stakes on Friday at Penn National. Back in statebred company for the first time since her maiden win in 2024, she easily took care of business in her stakes debut. “Manny [Franco] gave her a great trip,” Mott said. “Played the break, so to speak, and pounced when it was time, and it worked out well. The timing of the move was good, and she was able to best her rivals as well as she could in the end.” Based at Keeneland this spring, Modarosa has become a solid open-company allowance contender since returning from a long hiatus in November. Mott shipped her up and down the East Coast over the winter, leading to victories at Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct. She had never been favored against winners before coming to Penn National, where she paid $3.80 to win. Kindred Hearts, Getaway Palace, and Princess Javoncia scratched from the Lyphard, leaving seven Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares to square off in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. The field was strung out from the beginning, leaving three rivals with legitimate winning chances by the time they entered the far turn. Nature’s Candy, a game front-runner trained by Hugo Padilla, completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.86 and half-mile in 46.35, cruising with 3-2 second choice Candy Reward just behind her. Xmas in Cairo, a 55-1 longshot, briefly chased in third before fading, allowing Modarosa and Franco to inherit the place from a stalking position. Candy Reward had the first chance at tackling the leader at the top of the stretch, but Nature’s Candy and jockey Andy Hernandez repelled her bid and kicked clear. With most of the field more than six lengths behind, the 6-1 shot might have slipped away, but Modarosa had not yet fired in earnest from third. When Franco asked his mare for more, she responded instantly, rallying on the outside and easily powering past in the final furlong. She surged home to win by 2 3/4 lengths, completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:40.34. It was the first of two stakes wins for Franco on the card. Mott, who saddled his first horse as a trainer in late 2022, said Modarosa was one of the first horses in his barn when she debuted in November 2023. Owned by P.J. and Pat McCall of DeSales 85, there was always hope that the Pennsylvania-bred could earn some black type back home. The McCalls “really love Pa.-bred racing, and they’ve been big supporters of myself and our stables,” Mott said. “They were one of our first owners.” Nature’s Candy held second by 1 1/2 lengths over Racey Ruby, a 53-1 longshot trained by Michael Catalano Jr. The deep closer was 15 lengths behind on the backstretch and was the only one who picked up the pieces at the end. Alphabet Soup Handicap Eff Thirty Five flew home on wings to win the $75,000 Alphabet Soup Handicap on Friday, moving with authority from eighth and wrapping things up with time to spare. The 5-year-old gelding only seems to be getting better with age for trainer Brittany Russell. In the past, it has not been unusual for Eff Thirty Five to need a race off a layoff, but there were no such issues Friday. With a bold move under Javier Castellano, who went on to win two stakes on the card including the Grade 3 Penn Mile on Alpyland, Eff Thirty Five didn’t run a step out of place in the field of nine Pennsylvania-breds, kicking clear by three lengths. He paid $6.80 to win. “I think we handled him a little bit differently this year,” Russell said. “He got some time, but I think we kept him going a little bit. Also, I don’t know. I think he does well from the time. He came back ready to run.” In December, Russell decided to ship the Fair Hill-based Pennsylvania-bred to Woodbine for the Grade 3 Valedictory, a 1 1/2-mile stakes on synthetic. The race was outside his comfort zone coming off a turf allowance victory at Laurel Park, but he still ran on for third. In retrospect, it was likely a hint of what he could do in more familiar territory. In the 2025 edition of the 1 1/16-mile Alphabet Soup, Eff Thirty Five settled 16 lengths back and had too much to do in the final furlong, rallying late before settling for fifth by 2 1/2 lengths. Russell attributed that relatively dull effort to the race’s ban on Lasix, which she deemed necessary for this particular gelding to compete. With that restriction lifted for this year’s race, he proved undeniable. “He’s a tricky horse to spot because he needs the Lasix,” Russell said. “He works like he's a really good horse. We've always thought that, but we have to protect him a little bit.” Bartlett, the 7-5 favorite trained by John Servis, was rightfully considered the main danger in the Alphabet Soup and predictably went straight to the lead from the rail. He and jockey Frankie Pennington completed the opening quarter-mile in 22.79, with Fierce and Strong, last year’s Alphabet Soup winner, chasing close behind into the first turn. Eff Thirty Five, the only other runner in the field under 10-1, started nine lengths back. After momentarily entertaining the early challenge, Bartlett shook clear of Fierce and Strong on the backstretch, completing the half-mile in 45.88 and widening his advantage into the far turn. Longshots Wow Whata Party, Crisper, and Dylan’s Ruby all made bids to catch the pacesetter, but they seemed woefully unprepared when Bartlett turned for home with a three-length lead. The favorite didn’t relent much in the stretch, but Eff Thirty Five didn’t need an invitation. Swinging wide around the far turn, Castellano pushed the gelding from sixth to second in a flash. The gelding always had his sights set on the leader, and it didn’t take much urging for him to sweep by on the way to an easy victory. He completed the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:39.53. Bartlett, denied again in his third stakes attempt on turf, finished a half-length clear for second ahead of Crisper, a 24-1 shot trained by Tim Woolley. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.