Washington Crossing filled with horses who know how to win
The nine entrants for the Washington Crossing have combined for 73 victories, $3,692,297 in earnings, and should put on quite a show traveling a mile 70 yards on Tuesday at Parx Racing.
The Washington Crossing is one of three $75,000 stakes on the card, each for older horses, along with the Penn’s Landing for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs and the Fishtown at six furlongs.
With nine starts, American Patrol is the most lightly raced horse in the Washington Crossing, and at 4-1 is the second favorite on the morning line. He’s won the last four times he’s raced on fast dirt by a combined 19 3/4 lengths. His last two losses came on wet tracks, including a last-place finish in the Kris Kringle on Jan. 4 at Parx.
“He grabbed himself pretty good coming out of the gate and stumbled a little bit,” trainer Cal Lynch said. “He pulled half his shoe off.”
Lynch was pleased with American Patrol’s five-furlong breeze at Fair Hill on Feb. 23 and expects the 5-year-old to run well Sunday given a fast track.
Market Maven, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, took big strides forward when stretched around two turns in his last two races. Trained by Jacinto Solis, he won those races by a combined 18 3/4 lengths.
Double Crown upset the Grade 2 Kelso at 42-1 odds back on Oct. 29 at Aqueduct, but is winless from five subsequent starts. He and Treasure Trove go out for trainer Lynn Cash. Treasure Trove, a half-brother to Preakness winner Rombauer, was recently fourth in the John B. Campbell at Laurel.
Forewarned and Ruby Bleu are close to becoming millionaires. Forewarned ($944,183) won the 2022 Excelsior at Aqueduct and just finished fifth in the Campbell. Nine-year-old Ruby Bleu ($896,478) has won 22 times from 89 starts and looks like the main speed.
Tough Tickets was no match for razor-sharp Repo Rocks in Aqueduct’s Stymie eight days ago, running last of six. In his two prior starts, he finished third and second to top local handicap horse Ridin With Biden in stakes races.
Prince of Rain finished second in the Jump Start last October in his last start.
Wish for Peace completes the field.
Fishtown Stakes
Who knew the Blitzen Stakes at Parx on Jan. 4 was going to be such a key race?
The winner, Repo Rocks, returned to dominate the Grade 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct with a 111 Beyer Speed Figure, then scored in the Stymie last week with a 97.
Fifth-place finisher Twisted Ride came back to win two consecutive allowances and seeks his second stakes victory in the Fishtown.
Twisted Ride captured the City of Brotherly Love around two turns at Parx last year when conditioned by Kate DeMasi, but has found his niche sprinting since being switched to trainer Mike Moore last summer.
One start prior to the Blitzen, run over a sloppy track, Twisted Ride finished second by a neck to Repo Rocks in the 6 1/2-furlong Let’s Give Thanks at Parx. As in his recent allowance wins, Twisted Ride was right up on the pace in the Let’s Give Thanks.
“He seems to like being on the lead with another horse,” Moore said. “He seems to like the competition.”
Eight-year-old Smooth B, a multiple stakes winner trained by Butch Reid, returned from a sixth-place effort in the Blitzen to run second behind classy Beren in a high-level allowance sprint Jan. 31.
“He’s a warrior,” Reid said. “He’s one of the pets around the barn and acts like a 2-year-old.”
Three Two Zone drops in class after racing in three New York stakes without Lasix. Beaten 18 lengths by Repo Rocks in the Toboggan on Jan. 28, he might move forward on Sunday getting Lasix again.
Five Dreams has hit the board in his last eight races. He finished second in the Blitzen three back, then was third in the Fire Plug sprinting Jan. 21 at Laurel. Most recently, he finished four lengths behind Twisted Ride in a second-level allowance at Parx.
Cash entered Sir Alfred James and Kadri. Sir Alfred James has banked $847,274 and gets class relief after finishing fifth in the Grade 3 General George at Laurel.
Witty is likely to scratch in favor for an allowance at Parx on Wednesday.
Penn’s Landing
Disco Ebo, a winner in four of her last five races, heads the Penn’s Landing after earning a career-best 93 Beyer in a high-level allowance score on Feb. 15 at Parx.
“She came out of it like she never really ran,” said her trainer, Reid. “It’s a little bit of short notice, but she’s trained wonderfully.”
Liscolvin, purchased by Hill N Dale for $240,000 in January and subsequently eighth in the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel, should show speed. Liscolvin is trained by Lynch, who also sends out route-to-sprint performer Buy the Best in the Penn’s Landing.
Lynch noted that Liscolvin raced without Lasix in the Barbara Fritchie and will receive Lasix on Tuesday.
Sweet Willemina, Deco Strong, and Nurturing also deserve respect.
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