Theriot completes stakes sweep aboard Thiskyhasnolimit

Jockey Jamie Theriot swept both six-figure stakes on Monday’s Labor Day holiday card at Parx Racing, upsetting the inaugural running of the $300,000 Smarty Jones for 3-year-olds with Thiskyhasnolimit and guiding defending champion Chamberlain Bridge to a come-from-behind score in the $251,000 Turf Monster Handicap.

The Steve Asmussen-trained Thiskyhasnolimit ($18.40) came into the mile-and-70-yard Smarty Jones off a fifth-place finish in the West Virginia Derby and a distant second in the Iowa Derby. Both of his best performances came going one turn at Churchill Downs, winning the seven-furlong Matt Winn this year and the one-mile, Grade 3 Iroquois last fall.

In Monday’s race, Thiskyhasnolimit got first run when the front-runners began backing up turning for home. He took command in midstretch and drew off by two lengths while completing the distance in 1:40.49.

Nacho Friend, the third choice in the field of seven at 3-1, rallied from sixth to get second, 1 ½ lengths in front of Ohio Derby winner Pleasant Prince, the narrow second choice, also at 3-1. The stretch-out sprinter Comedero, who got an ideal trip sitting behind dueling pacesetters, faded in the stretch to finish fifth as the 8-5 favorite.

Chamberlain Bridge repeats in Turf Monster

Chamberlain Bridge ($7) rallied from sixth with a furlong remaining to prevail by a half-length in the Turf Monster Handicap.

In winning his eighth turf sprint stakes in the past two years, the 6-year-old Chamberlain Bridge had to make a six-wide move down the middle of the stretch under Theriot to overcome a 3 ½-length deficit in the last eighth of a mile.

In a four-way photo, A Unique Treasure nosed out the pacesetter Stradivinsky for second. Stradivinsky, the close second choice at 5-2, was a head in front of Towzee, who got fourth by a neck over Bogue Chitto.

Trained by Bret Calhoun, Chamberlain Bridge completed the five furlongs on firm turf in 56.63 seconds.