Crab Daddy, winner of the restricted Pennsylvania Nursery last month, tackles open stakes competition in Monday’s $75,000 Parx Future Stars for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. The card includes three other stakes for 2-year-olds.
Crab Daddy finished second in his debut when racing for the waiver restriction at Laurel Park on Nov. 9, but overcame his inexperience and some traffic trouble to rally up the rail in the Nursery.
“I thought he was pretty nice,” said trainer Linda Albert. “I wasn’t really thinking stakes, but when he ran so well in the first race, the owner pointed out the Pennsylvania-bred races, and I thought that was a really good opportunity for him.”
Albert believes Crab Daddy will be relatively close to the pace on Monday.
National Law, a half-brother to millionaire Family Way, handled maidens despite drifting out badly at Parx on Dec. 3. Trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. removes blinkers.
“We felt that when he got so far in front, he wanted to pull himself up or bolt to be with the other horses,” Duarte told Parx publicity. “So, we opted to try him without blinkers.”
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Trainer Butch Reid entered Global Steve and Baby Dukes. Global Steve, a half-brother to stakes winner Cagliostro, ran up the score in a debut victory over this course and distance last month.
“He had trained pretty forwardly coming up to it, so we had a good feeling,” Reid said. “A first-time starter from the one-hole is not an easy situation, and for him to wait in behind horses and then swing around, it was quite impressive.”
Baby Dukes is cross-entered in Saturday’s Heft Stakes at Laurel but runs here. Due to wintry weather, there has been little training at Parx over the last week, and Reid hopes the extra couple of days helps the Maximus Mischief colt.
“They haven’t trained,” Reid said about some of his horses, including Baby Dukes. “I can’t send a horse [to Laurel] without seeing a racetrack in five or six days.”
Fire Pit returns to dirt after finishing seventh in Aqueduct’s Central Park. Trainer Guadalupe Preciado feels the horse is a bit green, and that is one of the reasons, along with the training situation, why he’ll likely start at Parx instead of the Heft.
Gun Trader drops out of a last-place finish in the Grade 2 Remsen. “I think he might be a grass horse,” trainer Uriah St. Lewis said. “The way he runs with those high strides, I think he wants to run on the grass. I think seven-eighths of a mile is a good spot for him.”
Right Wing Runner steps up in class after winning his first two starts for trainer Scott Lake. Alchemism wheels back in 10 days after graduating by 12 lengths against statebred competition over sloppy going.
Robert’s Moon and stakes-placed Mission First complete the field.
Future Stars, fillies division
Following a good third-place finish in Laurel’s Smart Halo, Beyond Belief returns to Parx for the fillies division of the $75,000 Future Stars.
“She stumbled at the start a little bit,” trainer Eddie Coletti said. “She got in between horses, dropped in on the rail to save some ground, and got a little bit of dirt in her face, and I was surprised she dug in and kept on going.”
Maximus Angelicus scratched from a Friday allowance at Laurel to run at Parx. A 12-length maiden winner for Reid on Nov. 18, she’ll cut back to seven furlongs. Reid also saddles Majestic Jo, an upset debut winner who finished sixth next out in the restricted Shamrock Rose at Penn National.
St. Lewis entered two but expected to run Not Too Late in Laurel’s Gin Talking on Saturday. That leaves Tip Line, who drops in class after two challenging stakes tries in New York.
“The toughest thing with 2-year-olds when they break their maiden, you rarely get a [first-level allowance],” St Lewis said.
Ohio-bred Belle Bottoms ships in from Mahoning Valley after two blowout victories.
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Alyvia Mavis, Hollywood Beauty, and Volleyballprincess complete the field.
◗ Debut winner Fenton Forever and stakes-placed Ballad of Warrior might be the ones to beat in the $100,000 Wait for It for statebred or Pa.-sired juveniles at seven furlongs.
◗ Honorable Win captured her debut in Parx’s Miss Blue Tye Dye before placing second in the Finest City over Tapeta at Presque Isle. Trained by Kathleen DeMasi, she’s the 9-5 morning line favorite in the $100,000 Miss Behaviour for Pennsylvania-bred or -sired juvenile fillies at seven furlongs.
Speedy Tudox Dahlia and impressive maiden winners Double Airo and Little Cocoa Bean are contenders.
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