Trainers stuff entry box for Lyman, Foxy J. G. stakes

Parx Racing will hold its first stakes of the year Saturday, the Lyman and the Foxy J. G. Judging by the turnout, horsemen have been waiting for the seven-furlong races for Pennsylvania-breds.

The Lyman for 3-year-olds and up has a field of 11, including an Eddie Coletti Jr.-trained entry. The Foxy J. G., for fillies and mares, has a full field of 12, plus three horses on the also-eligible list. The stakes each has a purse of $100,000.

The Lyman is filled with speed, which benefits expected favorite Call Paul, who should be able to work out a stalking trip from the outside post under Frankie Pennington. Call Paul is 1 for 1 at Parx, having posted an easy win last December in the seven-furlong Pennsylvania Nursery for 2-year-old statebreds. The son of Friesan Fire is 4 for 7 in his career, including victories in the Grade 3 Swale at Gulfstream Park in February and the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last summer.

Call Paul has a few obstacles to overcome. He is a 3-year-old facing older horses for the first time, and the Lyman is being run under handicap conditions this year. Call Paul is the highweight at 122 pounds, conceding three to seven pounds to the opposition.

He also isn’t entering off his best race. Call Paul finished third, beaten seven lengths, last time out in the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct behind three-time stakes winner Mind Control and the Bob Baffert-trained Much Better. Although he is dropping in class for the Lyman, he didn’t kick it into gear as expected.

Trainer Jason Servis will add blinkers to Call Paul’s equipment Saturday to make sure he is paying attention.

Cowboy Mz and Long May You Run both have speed and are contenders for trainer Marcos Zulueta. Long May You Run will be making his first start since racing on the early pace with eventual winner Uncontested in the Grade 3 General George. Cowboy Mz came off an eight-month layoff two weeks ago to score a wire-to-wire Parx victory in a second-level optional claimer. It will be interesting to see which of the pair goes to the lead and which takes back.

The Lyman also includes Navy Commander, who will be making his first start since November and is trained by Butch Reid. Navy Commander, who went 5 for 11 last year, was recently voted the top statebred 3-year-old at Parx in 2018.

In the Foxy J. G., Bronx Beauty and Rose Tree figure as top contenders. Both wintered at Gulfstream Park and will be coming off layoffs.

Bronx Beauty, trained by Anthony Margotta Jr., is 2 for 2 in Pennsylvania-bred stakes on the main track. She won the New Start in her 2018 debut at Penn National after concluding her 2-year-old season in 2017 with a victory in the Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies at Penn. Bronx Beauty will be making her first start since finishing fourth to Dream Pauline in the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl last December at Gulfstream.

Rose Tree is a three-time stakes winner in statebred company, all for Jonathan Sheppard. Although seven furlongs may be a little short for her, Rose Tree has been training steadily since finishing seventh on turf in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River in January at Gulfstream. Expect a solid finish.