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By Tom LaMarra
The $100,000 Turf Amazon at Parx Racing July 7 attracted a field of nine including Stoneway Farm’s Pretty Perfection and Audley Farm Stable’s Smiling Causeway, who finished second and fifth, respectively, in The Very One Stakes May 19 at Pimlico. The Very One, which kicked off the Filly and Mare Sprint–Turf Division, came off the turf that day because of heavy rain.
Pretty Perfection, trained by Kelly Breen, prepped for the Turf Amazon with a good third-place finish in an open allowance turf sprint Parx June 18. The 4-year-old filly is tied for third in the division standings based on the one start in MATCH competition.
Trained by Arnaud Delacour, Smiling Causeway figures to rebound after her Pimlico effort on a sloppy track and, in five starts on the grass–all sprints–she has three wins and two seconds.
The probable favorite is Dennis Drazin’s Blue Bahia, a 5-year-old mare who owns an allowance victory at Parx and won a lucrative Claiming Crown event at Gulfstream Park last December. Blue Bahia hasn’t raced since March in Florida but has been training regularly at Monmouth Park for trainer Jason Servis.
Colts Neck Stables Boos, trained by Alan Goldberg, finished a neck ahead of Pretty Perfection in the Parx allowance race June 18 and was fifth in the June 2 Penn Ladies Dash, the second leg of the division. The Turf Amazon will mark the third start of the year for the 4-year-old filly bred in France. The same connections also entered Goldwood, an impressive winner of an allowance/optional claiming race at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Laurel Park June 15.
The Pennsylvania-bred 4-year-old filly Quick Thinking would make a quick return in the Turf Amazon as she raced June 30 at Parx and coasted home an easy winner of five-furlong allowance race on the grass. Owned, trained and bred by Elizabeth Merryman, Quick Thinking has two wins so far, both at Parx.
Turf Amazon Stakes final past performances courtesy brisnet.com