Oxana leads throughout Roamin Rachel, one of the day’s four MATCH series finals
Oxana went right to the front and splashed home to post a mild upset in Monday’s Roamin Rachel Stakes for fillies and mares traveling 6 1/2 furlongs over sloppy going at Parx Racing.
The Roamin Rachel was one of four $100,000 stakes on the program, along with the Liberty Bell for 3-year-olds and up at 6 1/2 furlongs, the Bucks County for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, and the Salvatore DeBunda PTHA President’s Cup for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles.
The latter two races were moved from turf to the main track due to excessive rain. The four stakes concluded the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship Series.
A 4-year-old filly trained by Tim Hills for Tee-N-Jay Farm, Oxana was the second stakes winner on the card piloted in front-running fashion by Paco Lopez.
Oxana broke cleanly from the inside post and set fractions of 22.73 and 45.97 while pressured from the outside by Fille d’Esprit.
Oxana dismissed Fille d’Esprit turning for home, opened a clear advantage, and had just enough in the tank to outlast late-kicking Dr B by a half-length in 1:17.93 seconds. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to Fille d’Esprit, who nipped Kalypso for third. Oxana returned $11.40 to win.
Favored Chub Wagon chased the pace outside, but never looked comfortable and was eased in the stretch.
Hills said Lopez executed the game plan perfectly. “Be aggressive, especially out of the one-hole, you had to go.”
The Roamin Rachel was Oxana’s first stakes victory. She had placed in three consecutive stakes leading up to Monday’s start, including a runner-up effort in Laurel Park’s Shine Again on Sept. 10.
“She’s not a big horse, but she’s really tough,” Hills added. “She’s a never has a bad day kind of horse. She has that little bit of swagger to her.”
Oxana was bred in Pennsylvania by Uptowncharlybrown Stud and issired by Uptowncharlybrown. She has won 5 of 14 lifetime starts and is 2 for 2 over wet tracks.
Oxana will now “get a little break,” according to Hills.
Liberty Bell
Fortheluvofbourbon ($4) won his fifth consecutive start with a gate-to-wire triumph in the Liberty Bell.
Trained by Michael Pino for Smart Angle LLC, Fortheluvofbourbon burst right to the lead under Lopez, set fractions of 22.36 and 45.55 while pressured by second choice Beren, and went about his business to score by three lengths over Five Dreams. It was another 5 1/2 lengths back to Jalen Journey, who nipped Beren for third in the shadow of the wire. Fortheluvofbourbon completed 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.88 seconds.
Fortheluvofbourbon, 5, utilized stalking tactics in his prior races, but Pino decided to “take the race away from” Beren because of that horse’s affinity for a wet track. Coming into the Liberty Bell, Beren had won four of five races over wet tracks.
“He always breaks good,” said Pino. “We started to take him a little off it because he has a better punch that way. It was a different kind of track and Paco said he broke so good. It was a great plan.”
Claimed for $50,000 at Churchill Downs on May 29, 2020, Fortheluvofbourbon has now won 11 of 22 starts. He is 11 for 17 at Parx. The Liberty Bell was his third stakes victory.
Fortheluvofbourbon is a gelded son of Bourbon Courage. He was bred in Pennsylvania by Hidden Acres 4-D farm. Pino said plans for Fortheluvofbourbon’s next start will be determined in the next few days.
Bucks County
Shooger Ray Too ($12.80), entered main track only, benefited from a quick pace to down favored Tax by 5 3/4 lengths in the Bucks County.
Trained by Tyler Servis for Vintage Thoroughbreds, Shooger Ray Too saved ground in a stalking position while the two favorites, Tax and Wolfie’s Dynaghost, engaged in a prolonged pace battle through fractions of 23.67, 47.71, and 1:11.95.
Jockey Abner Adorno eased Shooger Ray Too into the clear in upper stretch, and they readily ran by Tax. Shooger Ray Too completed the distance in 1:51.43 seconds.
Shooger Ray Too, 5, earned his first stakes victory. Bred in Kentucky by Haymarket Farm, he is a gelded son of Wicked Strong.
Salvatore DeBunda PTHA President’s Cup
Deciding Vote ($20) just needed to meet the starter to capture the overall MATCH Championship.
The 5-year-old did more than that as she rallied from well off the pace to push past Tic Tic Tic Boom by a half-length after 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.67 seconds
Trained by Edward Graham for owner-breeder William Pape, Deciding Vote relaxed near the back as Gravitron controlled solid fractions of 23.53, 48.11, and 1:13.32 while racing well off the rail.
Tic Tic Tic Boom made a strong outside bid to make the lead on the second turn, but Deciding Vote was in full stride. She collared a game Tic Tic Tic Boom nearing the wire to notch her first victory on a dirt track.
A daughter of Mr Speaker, Deciding Vote has now won stakes on both turf and dirt. She grabbed the Dahlia Stakes at Laurel in her seasonal debut on April 23.