Fulsome, Lovely Ride Score Stakes Victories at Parx
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Photo: Barbara Weidl/EQUI-PHOTO
Fulsome cruises in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing
After losing some luster when third as the favorite in the Indiana Derby (G3), the shine is back on Juddmonte's Fulsome .
The 3-year-old Into Mischief colt, winner of the Matt Winn Stakes (G3) in the spring at Churchill Downs, returned to form to capture the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes (G3) Aug. 24 at Parx Racing. Fifth of six after a half-mile under Florent Geroux, he swooped to take command coming into the stretch and pulled away to score by two lengths over Alonzo .
The Brad Cox trainee raced 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.57, returning $3.20 to win in the Smarty Jones, Parx's prep for its $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) Sept. 25.
Another graded stakes originally slotted on the card, the Parx Dash (G3T), was canceled Tuesday and rescheduled for Aug. 31. Other scheduled turf races on Tuesday were moved to the main track after wet weather in recent days.
Pace-pressing Alonzo was narrowly second in the Smarty Jones over front-running The King Cheek , who set quick splits of :46.75 and 1:11.83 after hard hustled early. Ridin With Biden was fourth.
Bred in Kentucky by Juddmonte, Fulsome is one of 10 foals out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Flourish. Four of her foals are winners, two of them stakes placed.
Flourish's three unraced foals include a 2-year-old Point of Entry colt named Rimprotector, a yearling filly by Frosted , and a Twirling Candy filly foaled this year. She was bred back to Into Mischief for 2022.
Video: Smarty Jones S. (G3)
Earlier on the card, Allied Racing Stable's Lovely Ride similarly rebounded from a loss in Indiana to capture the $150,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes in front-running fashion. The Cathryn Sophia is a local steppingstone toward the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) Sept. 25 at Parx.
The daughter of Candy Ride shot to the lead with comfortable fractions of :48.75 and 1:13.39 under Reylu Gutierrez, and repulsed bids from several foes in the stretch to prevail by a half-length over Monmouth Oaks (G3) winner Leader of the Band . The Bret Calhoun trainee raced a mile and 70 yards on a fast track in 1:42.66, paying $6.80.
Lovely Ride wins the Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx Racing
Favored Leader of The Band, last early, rallied widest to fall just short, three-quarters of a length ahead of Marion Francis in third. Bold Tactics was fourth, 2 1/4 lengths farther back.
Stewards conducted an inquiry following drifting and bumping in the stretch by Marion Francis but made no change to the order of finish.
Morning-line favorite and last year's champion 2-year-old filly Vequist was scratched.
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Bred in Kentucky by her owner, Lovely Ride is out of the Tiznow mare Lovely Lil , winner of the Go for Wand Handicap (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack in 2011. She is one of three winners for her dam, a group that includes the 2-year-old colt American Xperiment (Nyquist ), a debut winner by 5 1/4 lengths at Saratoga Race Course July 30. Lovely Lil was bred to Mo Town for 2022.