Sky Mesa-sired runners look tough in pair of stakes

Pennsylvania-breds are in the spotlight Saturday at Parx Racing, particularly progeny of Sky Mesa. Three entrants in the track’s two Saturday stakes, the $100,000 Crowd Pleaser and $100,000 Power By Far, are offspring of the 19-year-old stallion, who stands at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, and two of them – Mountain Holiday and Sweet Bye and Bye – are heavily favored to win their respective races.

Mountain Holiday is the 3-5 morning-line choice to win the Crowd Pleaser, for 3-year-olds at about 1 1/16 miles on the Parx grass course, and Sweet Bye and Bye is even-money in the Power By Far for fillies and mares at about five furlongs on turf. Also in the Power By Far is another Sky Mesa runner – Whitney Cove, a 20-1 longshot.

The Power By Far, carded as the seventh race on the nine-race program, drew 16 entries, though only 10 horses can start. Only seven were entered in the Crowd Pleaser, which goes as the sixth race.

Sweet Bye and Bye defeated males by three lengths in the Crowd Pleaser last year. Though she has raced exclusively from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles, she possesses speed and has sprinted effectively in limited opportunities. She won a maiden race at 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt at Parx in May 2018, and in her lone start of 2019 finished second, beaten a neck, when running six furlongs on turf May 24 at Belmont in a second-level allowance.

Frankie Pennington rides Sweet Bye and Bye, owned by Briardale Stable and trained by Steve Klesaris.

Of her nine rivals in the body of the Power By Far field, only Pink Princess and Bayberry have won on turf. Pink Princess, a 9-year-old who was third in this race last year, is 5 for 10 over the Parx turf course, most in the claiming and starter ranks. Bayberry won her only grass start June 2 at Monmouth, taking a first-level allowance sprint by a nose in her seasonal debut.

Many of those on the also-eligible list in the Power By Far would make worthy additions to the race, including She’s Chubs, who won the stakes in 2018 when it was taken off the turf and moved to the main track.

Mountain Holiday is the lone turf winner in the Crowd Pleaser, having prevailed in a maiden race at first asking April 7 at Tampa. He followed with a runner-up finish in an entry-level allowance at Delaware Park on grass May 25.

Daniel Centeno, aboard for the Delaware race, returns in the irons for trainer Keith Nations, who owns Mountain Holiday with Vince Campanella.

His primary foe appears to be Chilly in Charge, who races on turf for the first time after winning a maiden race on synthetic May 5 at Woodbine.