Princess Grace controls pace, repeats in Dr. James Penny Memorial

Princess Grace became racing's latest millionaire on Tuesday at Parx Racing when she captured the Grade 3, $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial for fillies and mares for the second consecutive year.

The Penny Memorial lacked much speed on paper and Princess Grace's rider, Florent Geroux, assessed the situation perfectly.

He placed Princess Grace right on the lead, slowed the fractions (24.51, 49.08, 1:13.25) to a crawl, then sprinted home to best Flirting Bridge by three lengths. Princess Grace completed the 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:43.70 and returned $5.40 as the second choice in the wagering.

"I talked to Florent this morning and we've been overthinking this filly where we're worried about being on the lead," winning trainer Michael Stidham said after the race. "I told him when the gate opens, you just ride the way the race comes up."

Stidham noted earlier in the week that Princess Grace could be aggressive up front, but the Karakontie filly came to hand beautifully under Geroux.

“When I saw 24 and 2 and 49 for the half, I thought it was her race at that point,” said Stidham.

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Flirting Bridge, favored in the wagering after an impressive last-to-first triumph in her North American debut at Churchill Downs on May 29, lost little in defeat. Held back off the slow splits, she made a menacing three-wide bid on the second turn and was easily second best.

She finished 3 3/4 lengths ahead of third-finisher Love in the Air. Then came Runaway Rumour, Tic Tic Tic Boom, Classic Lady, Fed Policy, and Flashndynamite.

Main-track-only entrant Sweet Willemina withdrew.

A homebred owned by Susan and John Moore, Princess Grace won six of her first seven starts, including the 2020 Grade 2 Mrs. Revere at Churchill and last year’s Dr. James Penny Memorial, the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon at Del Mar, and the Grade 3 Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs.

She finished third in her final two starts of 2022, the Grade 2 Goldikova and Grade 1 Matriarch, both contested over a mile at Del Mar. In the latter race, Princess Grace steadied hard in between horses outside the eighth pole and rallied well along the inside once clear.

Stidham aimed Princess Grace for the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf in January, but the 5-year-old multiple Grade 2 winner developed a jaw abscess that forced her to the sidelines.

Princess Grace finished off the board for the only time in her career when she returned to the races, finishing last of seven in Monmouth Park’s Grade 3 Eatontown on June 18.

Geroux’s flight was delayed that afternoon and Stidham was forced to make a late rider switch. Princess Grace was rated behind very slow fractions in the Eatontown and never made an impact.

A daughter of stakes-placed Masquerade, Princess Grace has now won 7 of 11 starts for earnings of $1,086,160. Stidham mentioned that the goal is to win a Grade 1 race in 2022.