Familiar Names for 'PA Day at the Races' Card

Many of the top Pennsylvania-bred runners of the last few years will compete in four stakes, one of which will have two divisions, Sept. 5 at Parx Racing.

The “Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races” card will offer 12 races, all for state-bred horses. Each stakes will carry a purse of $100,000; the Mrs. Penny Stakes for fillies and mares on the grass was split into two $100,000 divisions. Nominations were taken for the $100,000 Banjo Picker for older sprinters but the race isn’t on the program.

Adam Sample and Jalin Racing Stables’ Page McKenney (by Eavesdropper), who got back on the winning track in the Robellino Stakes for state-breds at one mile on the grass Aug. 22 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, returns to dirt for the Roanoke Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles. The Mary Eppler trainee finished second or third in three graded stakes this spring and will be ridden as usual by Horacio Karamanos.

Sycamore Racing’s Nellie Cashman (Mineshaft  ), trained by Francis “Tres” Abbott III, returns to state-bred company for the first time since May 30, 2014, in a division of the Mrs. Penny at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Forest Boyce has the call aboard Nellie Cashman, who finished fourth in the grade III Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes on the grass at Parx two starts back.

The winners of the Marshall Jenney Handicap at five furlongs on grass the last two years are back again this year. Pewter Stables’ Merry's Honor (Congressionalhonor), trained by Kathleen Demasi and to be ridden by John Bisono, won the stakes last September; Matthew Schera’s This Ain't No Bull (Holy Bull), claimed last time out by Michael Pino for $20,000 last time out, won the stakes in 2013 and will be ridden by Jorge Vargas Jr.