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Parx Adds Five $100,000 Stakes Races To Year-End Cards

Parx Racing will close out 2021 with a pair of loaded cards featuring five $100,000 stakes races over the course of two days, Dec. 28-29. The added year-end stakes races will offer a final opportunity for horsemen and women to close out their season with a black-type victory.

Tuesday, Dec. 28 will have three stakes races on the card – the $100,000 Kris Kringle for 3-year-olds and up at a mile and seventy yards, the $100,000 Mrs. Claus for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, at seven furlongs and the $100,000 Blitzen for 3-year-olds and up sprinters. Nominations will close on Dec. 8.

Juveniles will take the spotlight on Wednesday, Dec. 29 with a pair of stakes races for 2-year-olds – the $100,000 Parx Futurity at seven furlongs for fillies and the seven furlong $100,000 Parx Juvenile for colts and geldings. Nominations close on Dec. 8.

First post is 12:10 p.m. ET. Gates will open at 11:15 a.m. Admission is free.

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Ce Ce Effortless In Chillingworth Stakes At Santa Anita

Ce Ce entered Sunday's G3 Chillingworth Stakes at Santa Anita Park as an imposing favorite, and she ran to the billing with an effortless scaling back in distance.

The 5-year-old Quality Road mare settled into third, as Eyes Open and Argentine-bred Scotish Star set a hot pace up front. The lead duo dueled to an opening quarter in :21.99 seconds, four lengths ahead of Ce Ce, who sat a path off the rail under jockey Victor Espinoza.

Ce Ce began to reel in the leaders as they entered the turn after a half-mile in :45.15, and Espinoza took the mare three-wide as they entered the stretch; first passing Eyes Open before drawing even with Scotish Star and going past her without Espinoza needing his crop. Ce Ce breezed through the final furlong, and crossed under the wire five lengths ahead of late-closing 31-1 longshot On Deck, who beat out Scotish Star in the photo for second.

Ce Ce completed the 6 1/2-furlong race in 1:16 flat over a fast main track at Santa Anita. She paid $2.40 to win as the overwhelming post time favorite.

It was the first time Ce Ce had run at 6 1/2 furlongs since March 2020, when she won an optional claiming race at Santa Anita. She has spent most of her 2021 campaign competing at seven furlongs, highlighted by a win in the G2 Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park in July.

Sunday's Chillingworth victory was Ce Ce's seventh victory in 15 career starts, and it improved her lifetime earnings to $1,233,100. She races as a homebred for Bo Hirsch, and she is trained by Michael McCarthy.

View the Equibase chart here.

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My Sister Nat Repeats As Winner Of Waya Stakes

My Sister Nat lived up to her status as the post time favorite, won her second straight edition of the Grade 3 Waya Stakes with a sweeping outside move on Sunday at Belmont Park.

The 6-year-old French-bred Acclamation mare placed mid-pack by jockey Jose Ortiz, breaking from the outside post, as Always Shopping took the early lead on the rail, followed closely by Call Me Love. Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. guided Always Shopping through an opening quarter in :25.63 seconds, and the pair stretched out their early lead through the first turn of the 1 3/8-mile race.

Always Shopping had gotten loose by 1 1/2 lengths after the opening half-mile in :52.01 seconds, while British-born Call Me Love and longshot Lovely Lucky trailed as the closest competition and My Sister Nat remained unhurried near the back of the pack. The lead trio continued to separate from the rest of the field throughout the back straightaway, and they entered the final turn through three-quarters in 1:17.52.

The top three remained unchanged through the bend, but Ortiz started calling upon My Sister Nat, who started gaining position on the outside, and was battling for second as the field turned for home. My Sister Nat drew even with Always Shopping under a vigorous hand ride, and blew past the pacesetter when Ortiz drew his crop. The mare drew clear, and crossed the line 2 1/2 lengths ahead of a late-moving Orglandes, who finished a neck ahead of Always Shopping for the runner-up spot.

My Sister Nat stopped the clock in 2:15.37 over a firm turf course, and she paid $3 to win as the post time favorite.

Sunday's race was My Sister Nat's first win since last year's Waya, which was held in August at Saratoga Race Course. She'd been on the cusp of graded success several times between wins, finishing third or better in five graded stakes races, including a runner-up effort in last year's G1 Flower Bowl Stakes.

The Waya improved My Sister Nat's record to four wins in 20 starts, and earnings of $825,672. Chad Brown trains the mare for owner Peter Brant. She was bred in France by Ecurie Des Monceaux.

View the full race chart here.

Stakes Quotes Courtesy of NYRA Press Office

Dan Stupp, assistant to Chad Brown, winning trainer of My Sister Nat (No. 7, $3.00*) and runner-up Orglandes (No. 7): “She's a very nice and very honest mare. She's had a very consistent career. She shows up every time with her run. Sometimes pace dynamics don't work out in her favor, and we get a little unlucky but Jose [Ortiz] always rides her well and she always shows up. It's nice to see her put in another strong effort.

“They were going a little slow early on, but she was also comfortable and had quite a bit of run, so she was able to overcome that pretty easily.”

On runner-up Orglandes: “She won out in California [Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar] last year. She was one that we always had some high hopes for this year. We just got sidetracked with some minor stuff. It's nice to see her get back on track. We thought she would have a solid campaign and hopefully we can move forward off this race.”

Jose Ortiz, winning jockey aboard My Sister Nat (No. 7): “In this kind of race they usually go slow. It felt like they went 50 and 51 but I was following who I thought was the right horse [No. 6 Beautiful Lover] and around the three-eighths pole I put her in the clear and she gave me such a great feeling. She just was handling the course really well. She gave me a great kick from the three-eighths pole to the wire, and she kept running.

“It's big to have a win right before the Breeders' Cup. I don't know if we're going or not but we've been running against better horses. I think her last race [third in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational] was very good, we ran well and got beat by the right horse [War Like Goddess].”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., jockey aboard runner-up Orgalndes (No. 4): “I got squeezed a little bit out of the gate, so it cost me to get a better position, but that's racing.”

On improved effort from her previous two starts: “She likes the hard turf, that might have made the difference.”

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Annapolis Remains Perfect With G2 Pilgrim Victory

Bass Racing's homebred Annapolis outdueled Portfolio Company in a stirring stretch drive to capture Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim going 1 1/16 miles for juveniles over the firm inner turf at Belmont Park.

The Pilgrim has seen three of its last five winners go on to capture the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, including Oscar Performance [2016], Structor [2019] and Fire At Will [2020].

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Annapolis entered out of a stylish debut win on closing weekend at Saratoga Race Course, where he rallied from off-the-pace under returning rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Breaking from post two in a compact field of four, Annapolis sat second behind pacesetter Portfolio Company, who marked off splits of 24.34 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.96 to the half-mile under Joel Rosario. At the half-mile pole, Ortiz, Jr. began to inch Annapolis closer to the leader and the two colts met up at the quarter pole after six furlongs in 1:14.46.

The front-running duo gained separation from their two competitors – Limited Liability [Jose Ortiz] and Doctor Jeff [Jose Lezcano] – and battled gamely to the wire. Annapolis needed every inch of ground to get by a stubborn Portfolio Company, putting his head on the wire in a final time of 1:41.04.

“With only four horses, there wasn't much speed in the race,” Ortiz, Jr. said, “I just broke well and tried to be close to the pace. I ended up second to the horse I had to try and beat, so I just went from there. He fought the whole way to the wire. The way he did it last time he looked like a nice horse, so we expected him to move forward and he did.”

Byron Hughes, Pletcher's Belmont-based assistant, said he was pleased with how the race unfolded.

“He broke well and Irad had him in a great spot on the outside,” Hughes said. “It was a good duel down the stretch and he was able to get a head down at the wire.”

Rosario won five races on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs, including Grade 3 scores with Knicks Go in the Lukas Classic and aboard Plainsman in the Ack Ack, both for trainer Brad Cox.

The veteran rider said he had no complaints about his trip aboard maiden-winner Portfolio Company, who was exiting a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 With Anticipation on September 1 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

“He responded well. The other horse [Annapolis] came to me a little bit early and then I had to just keep moving inside. It was a very good race in the end,” Rosario said. “When he came to me, I had to hold my position. Turning for home, [Annapolis] moved a little early which engaged me to move forward a little more than I wanted to. You just have to ride them the way the race is playing.”Annapolis returned $3.30 to win off a $2 wager and increased his lifetime earnings to $165,000.

Limited Liability was third, 3 1/4-lengths ahead of Doctor Jeff. Midnight Worker and City At Night were scratched.

A Kentucky homebred, Annapolis is by War Front and out of the graded-stakes winning Unbridled's Song mare My Miss Sophia, who was also conditioned by Pletcher.

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