Mind Control Repeats in Parx Dirt Mile Upon DQ

Last year, Mind Control  won the $200,000 Parx Dirt Mile with determination, nipping favored Silver State   in a photo finish.

Returning in the $200,000 race at Parx Racing Sept. 24, this time as the public choice, his courageousness again played a role in a favorable outcome, as did action from track stewards. The three stewards disqualified Far Mo Power  for carrying out and lightly bumping 6-year-old Mind Control twice down the stretch after the former hit the wire in front by a neck.

The disqualification brought to a conclusion an exciting race in which Joseph Sutton's Far Mo Power and Red Oak Stables and Madaket Stables' Mind Control duked things out for much of the contest.

Far Mo Power set splits of :24.06,:47.54, and 1:11.50, under pressure from Mind Control, lost a head's advantage to Todd Pletcher-trained Mind Control with a furlong remaining, and Far Mo Power hit the wire narrowly in front with a mile on a fast track in 1:36.59.

"He touched him, kind of got him off balance," Mind Control's jockey John Velazquez said of the more significant incident that occurred with about a sixteenth of a mile to run. "That really got my horse intimidated and off balance, and I couldn't get back on (top)."

Dontmesawithme  ran third, 11 3/4 lengths behind Mind Control.

A grade 1 winner with now more than $1.7 million in earnings, Mind Control paid $3.20 to win the Parx Dirt Mile, a race that regularly propels horses toward the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in the fall. 

Mind Control, a son of Stay Thirsty   bred in Kentucky by Red Oak Stable, is out of the stakes winning Lightnin N Thunder  mare Feel That Fire . He is a half brother to current graded stakes-placed 3-year-old filly Goddess of Fire .

Video: Parx Dirt Mile S. (BT)

Ridin With Biden Earns First Graded Stakes Win in Greenwood Cup Stakes

A race later, jockey Paco Lopez put on a speed-riding display to bring Ridin With Biden  home on a frontrunning winner in the $200,000 Greenwood Cup Stakes (G3) for trainer Butch Reid.

"He couldn't have done any better. Paco did a great job. We looked at the race and didn't see a whole lot of speed in there. This horse is handy as he could be," Reid said.

The son of Constitution   wasted no time taking the lead in front of Brooklyn Strong  and The Reds  on the fast dirt track.

Keeping the lead through fractions of :24.73, :49.51, and 1:14.30, the 4-year-old gelding reached the mile mark in 1:40.92 with Magic Michael  putting pressure on in second.

Down the stretch, it was still Ridin with Biden who led the eight-horse field, holding off runner-up Magic Michael  to win the 1 1/2 mile event in 2:32.92  by a length.

Brooklyn Strong was third.

Favored Fearless  disappointed, finishing a non-threatening seventh.

Ridin With Biden paid $19.20 on a $2 win ticket and improved his record to 5-5-1 from 17 starts. His earnings increased to $385,080 for owners Cash is King and LC Racing.

He was an $85,000 purchase by Cash is King from the Cary Frommer consignment to the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

The winner is out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro   mare Allemande who has two winners from three foals to race. Her last reported foal is an unraced 3-year-old Tonalist   colt named I Aint No Quitter.

Video: Greenwood Cup S. (G3)