The decision to switch Saturday’s $75,000 First Responder Stakes at Parx Racing from turf to the main track folowing heavy rains on Friday turned Rush Now from a huge question mark into a solid favorite.
The 4-year-old Rush Now ($3.60), who has never run on grass in his 18-race career, ran down pacesetter Ponzi scheme and scored a one-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile First Responder. It was the third straight win for the Tony Dutrow-trained Rush Now, who last year won the Spend a Buck at Monmouth and was second in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby.