Princess Grace faces tough group in quest for Penny Memorial repeat

Princess Grace looks to capture the Grade 3, $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes at Parx Racing for the second consecutive year when the 5-year-old mare lines up Tuesday against a solid field of fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Trainer Michael 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.

She finished last in her return to the races in Monmouth Park’s Grade 3 Eatontown on June 18, but Stidham believes several circumstances contributed to the uncharacteristically poor finish.

“Florent Geroux had a five-hour delay and missed being there, so we made a late change to Mike Smith,” Stidham said. “I told him she’s tricky to ride. In races that had no pace, she would be a little aggressive and overdo it if she made the lead too soon.”

With that in mind, Smith took hold of Princess Grace and tried to settle her in behind horses. Meanwhile, the eventual winner, Stolen Holiday, set glacial fractions that compromised horses coming from off the pace.

“It was kind of a disaster from beginning to end,” remarked Stidham.

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

Stidham believes Princess Grace is coming into the Penny in good condition and can adapt to any pace situation. She won last year’s renewal of the Penny by a neck as the even-money favorite. Geroux rides from post 3.

Flirting Bridge, Group 3-placed in Europe last year, trained in Florida over the winter, but “really blossomed when she got to Kentucky,” according to trainer Brendan Walsh.

The Camelot filly made an eye-catching North American debut, grabbing a first-level allowance in last-to-first style May 29 at Churchill Downs with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.

“Like typical European horses, she broke slow,” Walsh said. “If she breaks a little better, we wouldn’t necessarily want to take her all the way back.”

Walsh believes “it’s a big transition” when horses ship from Europe. “It normally takes them a run or two to adapt, so I would think there would be plenty more improvement.”

Classic Lady, a multiple stakes winner against New York-breds, tries open company for trainer Christophe Clement. The Jimmy Creed mare returned from a 163-day layoff to finish second, beaten a nose, in Belmont Park’s Mount Vernon Stakes for statebreds on May 30.

“She’s a filly that likes to be on the lead or close to the pace,” Clement said. “She’s always been a good filly, but she’s just a notch below the best fillies in New York. I think it’s a good time to be ambitious.”

Although Love in the Air has yet to win on turf, she’s hit the board in all four tries on the surface, including a tough-trip second in the Lyphard for Pennsylvania-breds on June 3 at Penn National. She might try and make the lead from her rail draw under Paco Lopez.

Runaway Rumor, fifth in the Mount Vernon; six-time stakes-placed performer Tic Tic Tic Boom; Fed Policy; and Flashing Dynamite complete the field. Sweet Willemina is entered for the main track only.