It’s a big week for the Pennsylvania-bred program. Keystone State-bred hero Smarty Jones, winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame on Aug. 1 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Back home in Pennsylvania, the week begins with Monday’s $75,000 Princess of Sylmar Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares at Presque Isle Downs.
Princess of Sylmar began her career at Penn National. She went on to win seven stakes in New York and Kentucky, including a trio of Grade 1 races in 2013 – the Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks, and Alabama Stakes. She retired with more than $2 million in earnings.
The morning-line favorite in the Princess of Sylmar is Candy Reward, a daughter of one of the state’s leading sires, Warrior’s Reward. Trained by Brandon Kulp, the filly races as a homebred for Warrior’s Reward LLC, who supported their stallion to the tune of breeders’ awards that made them one of the state’s leaders last year.
There will be a changing of the guard in the Pennsylvania sire ranks soon. Grade 1 winner Warrior’s Reward, who was a major get for the state when he moved from Kentucky to WynOaks Farm for the 2019 season, was pensioned to Old Friends last year. For now, he is still racking up stakes wins with his remaining progeny.
Candy Reward rolls into the Princess of Sylmar having won four straight races, and five of her last six, including the H.B.P.A. Stakes last October on Presque Isle’s synthetic track at this mile and 70-yard distance. Candy Reward, who has won both her starts this year, is one of four stakes winners in the field of eight, along with Corinna, Foxy Junior, and Jeanne Marie. Candy Reward may have an edge based on her 4-for-7 record on synthetic.
Corinna won the Lyphard Stakes on yielding turf at Penn National in June. Jeanne Marie was second to her that day. The Lyphard was Corinna’s first start since September, and while she rolled into this season in good form, she will have some questions to answer Monday.
Corinna has been running on turf and will be racing on a synthetic surface for the first time. Trainer Michael Matz also will need a new rider as Tyler Conner was injured in a spill Thursday at Colonial Downs.
Foxy Junior, a multiple stakes winner on the Mid-Atlantic circuit last year, has been running on dirt, recently against open company. She got back in the win column with an allowance/optional-claiming win sprinting on a muddy track at Parx Racing last time out and now faces statebred stakes company.
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