Month: September 2022

Frankie Pennington is scheduled to ride in 12 of the 13 races on Saturday's betPARX Pennsylvania Derby Day card at Parx Racing. The Texas-born rider's most significant call of the day comes aboard B Dawk in the headlining Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby.

The Joseph E Besecker- and West Point Thoroughbreds-owned B Dawk, named after former Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame Safety Brian Dawkins, will make a significant jump in class in his first graded stakes test in his ninth start off an allowance victory at Ellis Park.

A proud Dallas Cowboys fan in Philadelphia Eagles country, and currently Parx's second-leading rider, Pennington will ride the Gormley colt for the first time. He also looks to give trainer Doug O Neill back-to-back Pennsylvania Derby wins after he scored with Hot Rod Charlie last year.

“I've looked at the races and I've been on him the past three mornings and he's doing good. He's very happy,” said Pennington. “It's always good to get a feel for the horse and that way you can kind of see what they like. That horse, since he's been in, he's been professional and classy the whole time. Anytime you can ride at your home track and ride in a Grade 1 for a trainer like Doug O'Neill, it's a great feeling.”

Pennington has eight graded stakes victories in his 20-year career. Four of those wins came at Parx, where he's hung his tack since 2004. He won the Grade 3 Parx Dash in 2015 with Tightend Touchdown and in 2018 with Vision Perfect, along with the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial Stakes in 2019 with Notapradaprice and the Grade 3 Greenwood Cup Stakes in 2021 with Magic Michael.

With 13 races on the day, and 10 being stakes races worth $3.8 million in purses, the competition on the track can be intense. Pennington said the riders leave it on the track, although there is a sense of pride and territory among the local colony.

“We all get along,” Pennington said. “We're all good, there's nothing bad. Obviously anytime you're in your hometown you want to keep the money with you and not let it get out. I imagine that at the other tracks they feel the same way. It's home turf. If we can help it, we want to try and win everything we can.”

A victory in Saturday's Derby would mean a lot to the married father of two who owns 2,871 wins from 15,317 starts and earnings of $83,088,305. When asked what he would do, it didn't take long for his reply.

“I'm going to Disneyland. Yeah, taking the kids to Disneyland, that's for sure,” said Pennington. “It would definitely be something exciting for sure. It is every time you win but to win your first Grade 1, it would be something special. I'd probably take a day off.”

Unlike Pennington, local jockey Adam Bowman has just two mounts Saturday. The Kentucky-born rider will be aboard Tempted to Touch in the $200,000 Imply Stakes for trainer Herold Whylie. He'll then try for his first graded stakes victory aboard the Ferrel Mann-trained Beach Daze in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion later in the day.

“I'm really excited,” Bowman said. “We're 30-1, but I'm going to put her out there, and put her in position to win. If we have a shot turning for home, I'm going to lay down on her and give it everything I got. I ride one earlier in the day and hopefully I can just relax. I can feed off of Frankie and the other guys that are in the room and kind of just take it easy.

“I've been riding for 11 years now. I've been pretty much at Parx. I never really won anything big. I rode in the Turf Monster once or twice. I'm just excited to be here.”

Bowman, who has 233 wins from 4,049 career rides, will have a fan club win or lose come Saturday.

“I'm going to just keep cool in my head,” he said. “My mom and dad are coming down from the Poconos, my wife my kids. I'm excited to have my kids out here and my wife. They don't come to the races often, so it will be nice to have everybody here and just relish the moment and enjoy it and we'll see what happens. I'm excited.”

The post Local Jockeys Excited For ‘Home Turf’ Grade 1 Opportunities At Parx appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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History will be revisited on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Santa Anita, as Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally will be on-hand to present the trophy for the race named in honor of his superstar pupil, legendary Hall of Fame two-time Horse of the Year John Henry who retired at age nine in 1984 as racing's all-time leading money earner. The Grade 2, $200,000 John Henry Turf Championship, for 3-year-olds and upward, will be contested at a mile and one quarter over Santa Anita's Camino Real Turf Course.

McAnally, one of racing's most beloved figures and a member of racing's Hall of Fame since 1990, will forever be linked to the rugged gelding who came under his care late in his four-year-old year in the fall of 1979 at Santa Anita.

Raced primarily in the east through his first 38 starts, John Henry actually made his Southern California debut at Santa Anita's Oak Tree Meeting in his 28th start, on Oct. 8, 1978. Trained at that time by Robert Donato, John Henry, a diminutive bay with an ornery temperament, ran third beaten a half length as the 2-1 favorite under Chuck Baltazar in the Grade III Volante Handicap at 1 1/8 miles on turf.

McAnally took over as head coach the following year, sending “John” out to a second-place finish under Darrel McHargue in the Grade II Carlton F. Burke Handicap at 1 ¼ miles on turf Oct. 14, 1979.

With two career stakes wins to his credit prior to coming to McAnally, John Henry, who was foaled on March 9, 1975, was by Ole Bob Bowers and was out of the Double Jay mare Once Double. In his second start for McAnally, he would notch the first of what would be an astounding 27 stakes wins in his next 44 starts, as he took a division of the Henry P. Russell Handicap by 3 ¼ lengths as the 3-5 favorite on Nov 5, 1979.

In a nationally televised race for the ages that helped to cement McAnally's status as one of America's top conditioners, John Henry was just up to win the inaugural Grade I Arlington Million Stakes by a nose with Bill Shoemaker on Aug. 30, 1981. The first two-time winner of the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap, taking the Big 'Cap in 1981 and 82, John Henry would be awarded Eclipse Horse of the Year titles under McAnally's steady hand in both 1981 and 1984.

In his career finale, he marched to victory going 1 3/8 miles on turf under Chris McCarron in the Grade I Ballentine's Scotch Handicap at the Meadowlands on Oct. 13, 1984, retiring as racing's all-time leading money earner with $6,597,947 from an overall mark of 83-39-15-9. He would subsequently be voted the first-ever nine-year-old to capture racing's highest single season honor.

In addition to his Horse of the Year titles, John Henry won five additional Eclipse Awards with McAnally, reigning as Champion Turf Horse in 1980, 81, 83 & 84, as well as Champion Older Male in 1984.

McAnally, who frequently visited John Henry at the Kentucky Horse Park until his passing at age 32 on Oct. 8, 2007, was voted America's Eclipse Award Champion Trainer three times, in 1981, 1991 & 92.

With 2,592 career victories, McAnally ranks fourth on Santa Anita's all-time stakes-won list with 113 added money victories and is also fourth all-time at Santa Anita behind fellow Hall of Famers Bobby Frankel, Charlie Whittingham, and Bob Baffert, with 709 races-won.

A winner of the Laffit Pincay, Jr. Award for a lifetime of high integrity and decades-long service to racing this past August at Del Mar, McAnally, who turned 90 on July 11, currently has seven horses in training at The Great Race Place. He will be accompanied in the John Henry Winner's Circle by his wife Debbie along with several close friends and long-time racing associates.

The post Hall Of Famer Ron McAnally To Present Trophy For John Henry Turf Championship appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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