September 19, 2024
PENNSYLVANIA — By Ed DeRosa
The biggest weekend of horse racing in Pennsylvania is upon us, and while many eyes will be cast upon Parx on Saturday with its two Grade 1 races and superstar horses such as Thorpedo Anna and Next competing, the good folks at Railbirds are here to tell ya not to sleep on that Friday night card at Presque Isle Downs.
Among the nine races in Erie are four stakes including the Presque Isle Masters Stakes for older female sprinters going 6 ½ furlongs on the synthetic Tapeta surface. The action kicks off with an early pick 5 that includes a pair of two-year-old stakes, and concludes with a late pick 5 that–in addition to the aforementioned Masters–also includes the Presque Isle Mile.
Our focus is definitely on the Masters, however, as any time you identify a vulnerable favorite those are the races upon which you want to pounce.
Roses for Debra certainly is capable of winning this 6 ½-furlong race on synthetic, but her best races have come sprinting on the turf, and while she has some wins on synthetic before joining Christophe Clement’s barn, I’m just not prepared to take a short price against this accomplished a group on a surface she hasn’t seen in awhile.
Adding to the intrigue is that Clement trains the other top contender in Girl in a Rush. She was another top turf sprinter for his barn but ran her last two on Woodbine’s synthetic Tapeta surface winning the Hendrie Stakes before finishing second in the Seaway Stakes. Like favored Roses for Debra, she can win but her odds will be too low.
The other thing Roses for Debra and Girl in a Rush have in common besides their trainer and short prices is that they’re five-year-old mares carrying 125 pounds.
#7 Pandora’s Gift is a three-year-old filly carrying 116 pounds, and that nine pounds is significant–especially since I expect Pandora’s Gift to be forwardly placed in her North America debut. A winner of four straight on synthetic before trying group stakes competition sprinting on turf, Pandora’s Gift will be ridden by Ben Curtis who recently won the Colonial Downs riding title.
Another three-year-old in here also caught my eye: #6 Nice As Pie. She looked great earlier this year at Turfway Park before trying stakes on turf, but this seems like a good spot for her getting a nice weight break from the Clement trainees.
Whichever of Pandora’s Gift or Nice As Pie is the higher price I will bet to win and then play exactas using only those two.