Coffee Clique Proves Best in James Penny
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Amerman Racing's grade I winner Coffee Clique relaxed just off the pace before motoring to the lead in the final sixteenth and winning $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial Handicap (gr. IIIT) July 4 at Parx Racing.
Trained by Brian Lynch and ridden by Manuel Franco, Coffee Clique scored by 1 1/4 lengths as the odds-on favorite and covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:42.64, while pushing her earnings past the million dollar mark. The victory was the fourth graded win for the 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro , who captured last year's Longines Just a Game (gr. IT) at Belmont Park.
Third early under Manuel Franco, Coffee Clique was winding up her run around the far turn as Pink Poppy, who pursued pacesetter Sassy Little Cat from second, grabbed command nearing the stretch. Coffee Clique willingly responded when Franco gave the cue and saw off stubborn Pink Poppy as Testa Rossi came on to snatch second from that rival by a neck.
The 120-pound highweight, Coffee Clique paid $3.40, $2.40, and $2.20 while Testa Rossi returned $32.0 and $2.80 while carrying 117. Pink Poppy paid $7.40 to show.
Nellie Cashman was fourth, followed by Means Well, Baffle Me, Giant Shadow, Distorted Beauty, and Sassy Little Cat to complete the order of finish. Photo Call was scratched.
Coffee Clique got her first win of the year after finishing sixth in this year's Just a Game June 6 and second and third in grade II races at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs in her first two starts of 2015.
An Amerman homebred out of the Royal Academy mare Miss Chapin, the Kentucky-bred improved to a 7-2-2 record from 15 career starts. With the $120,000 winner's share of the purse, she has $1,041,488 in earnings.