Solid fields on stakes-heavy Pennsylvania-bred card

Saturday is Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races at Parx, which celebrates the state’s racing and breeding industries.

The 12-race card begins at 12:55 p.m. and consists entirely of Pennsylvania-restricted races. There are 116 betting interests, or more than 9.6 per race.

The program includes five $100,000 stakes, four maiden races, two allowances, and a $25,000 claimer. Total purses for the afternoon top $1 million. The stakes will be run as races 7 to 11.

Monongahela, winner of the Grade 3 Philip Iselin at Monmouth in June, is 2-5 on the morning line for the Roanoke, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, but trainer Jason Servis said Wednesday he will instead run the 5-year-old son of K One King in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga. An upset would give supporters of Pennsylvania racing plenty to cheer about.

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Monongahela’s absence should benefit Someday Jones, who is trained by John Servis and owned by Main Line Racing and the Alexandria Stable. Someday Jones won the Robellino Stakes at Penn National last year and was going in good form prior to his most recent start, when he tired badly to finish eighth while seeking a Robellino repeat.

He can be forgiven for that performance, however, as the Robellino was held on turf this year. Someday Jones, 8 for 21 overall, has yet to hit the board in two grass starts.

Navy Commander also figures in the Roanoke for trainer Butch Reid. He hasn’t won since taking the Long Branch at Monmouth last year at 3 but in his last two races has finished third to 13-time winner Red Razzo.

Grasshoppin upset the Roanoke last year at 12-1 but has been off form in five starts since.

With Monongahela in Saratoga, the Barlar LLC-owned, Bernie Houghton-trained entry of Imply and Advert will be the heaviest stakes favorite of the day in the Mrs. Penny, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares. Imply, a remarkable 6-year-old, is 11 for 27 in her career and holds the distinction of having won statebred stakes at all three Pennsylvania tracks.

Imply most recently won the Northern Fling over Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs. In her prior start, she romped over turf in the Lyphard at Penn National. Last fall, Imply won the Plum Pretty over dirt at Parx.

Overall, Imply is a six-time stakes winner. She has finished second in the Mrs. Penny the last two years, beaten a neck each time. She should be able to get that monkey off her back Saturday.

In the premier matchup of the day, the six-furlong Banjo Picker will pit the entry of Midnightcharly and Midtowncharlybrown against the uncoupled John Servis-trained duo of The Man and Midnight Poker.

This will be the third straight time Midnightcharly and Midtowncharlybrown have raced together as an entry. So far they are 2 for 2.

Midnightcharly rallied from far back to win the statebred Lyman at Parx in April. Midtowncharlybrown, beaten 2 1/4 lengths in the Lyman, went wire to wire to win the open Chocolate Town Sprint by a neck at Penn National in June.

The Man is 8 for 10 at Parx and has won the Banjo Picker the last two years. He is fast but has shown the ability to sit just off the pace in some of his races. That strategy could serve him well since Midnight Poker and Midtowncharlybrown figure to go at it pretty good on the front end.

The Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, is the first and most wide-open of the stakes. The 10-horse field includes Wild Combat, who won the Power By Far at 7-1 last time out, and Sweet Bye and Bye, who finished a surprising sixth as the 3-2 favorite.

Although Sweet Bye and Bye didn’t have an apparent excuse in the Power By Far, she has much more talent – and speed – than she showed and should not be lightly dismissed in the Garofalo.

The field also includes Ujjayi, who won the Ruthless in January at Aqueduct and most recently was third in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks. The old pro Trace of Grace is racing at a much shorter distance than usual, but is in top form and will be motoring late.

Adding to the field’s depth is the lightly raced I’m the Talent, who is 2 for 3 and only a half-length shy of being perfect in her career.

The final stakes on the card is the Marshall Jenney Handicap, a five-furlong turf sprint. Smokin Nitro, the 123-pound highweight, finished third to Pure Sensation last time out in the Grade 3 Parx Dash. Trained by Jamie Ness, he defeated Dubini in a no-conditons turf sprint allowance at Laurel Park three starts ago.