By Dick Jerardi
Prominent Parx owner Glenn Bennett made his first visit to Keeneland last Saturday and ended up in the winner’s circle. His longtime partner Chuck Zacney was in the Parx winner’s circle Tuesday along with two other members of the Parx Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Later Tuesday, longtime PTHA executive director Mike Ballezzi was remembered by his brother, Lou, in the winner’s circle after the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile. Wednesday, the winners of two very competitive stakes for Pennsylvania bred and Pennsylvania sired horses, also ended up in that Parx winner’s circle.
The bettors did not think much of Kappa Kappa’s chances in the $400,000 Grade 2 Lexus Raven Run at Keeneland. Making her first stakes start against nine 3-year-old fillies that had won a combined 11 stakes, Kappa Kappa was off at 27-1. What the bettors could not know is that trainer Butch Reid who is part owner along with Zacney and Bennett, had always been very high on the filly from the moment she was purchased two years ago at Timonium for $65,000.
When Kappa Kappa drew in from the also eligible list and got white-hot John Velazquez to ride, confidence rose. Breaking from the 9 post, she was in the race from the start, took the lead in the stretch, was passed with under 100 yards to go by 20-1 Vodka With a Twist and then, charged back on the inside to win the race by a head and set off a wild celebration.
“The race was unbelievable,” Bennett said. “She didn’t get a break the whole time. Johnny V just was awesome. For her to fight back like that. I thought we were in trouble when she got headed, and she just came back.’”
Reid’s belief in the filly was rewarded. And winning a stakes race at Keeneland will never get old.
“There’s nothing like it in the world, and it reaffirms your faith in horse racing,” Reid said.
Reid has now started three horses at Keeneland. Vequist was the first, and all she did was win the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. Neecie Marie was unplaced in a stakes race there last year, her final career start. All she did was win $1 million in her career. Now, Kappa Kappa who is just getting started.
Zacney’s Cash Is King LLC was voted into the Parx HOF as an owner along with $1 million earning Pennsylvania bred Favorite Tale and Ed Simon for Special Achievement after nearly 30 years helping the PTHA in so many ways, a count was lost long ago.
“My love for horses and horse racing started way back when,” Zacney said. “I loved going to Keystone, here we are Parx, Liberty Bell, Atlantic City.”
Zacney has now owned all or part of the winners of the Preakness, Belmont Stakes, Kentucky Oaks and a Breeders’ Cup race. When asked about the “one’’ race left on the list, Zacney said: “Kentucky Derby. That’s the Moby Dick. Glenn and I are both shooting for that. Hopefully, one day we get there.”
It was quite sad that Paul Conaway, who died as the result of a car accident four years ago, was not there to see Favorite Tale’s induction.
“Paul’s smiling down on this beautiful day, I’m so proud of him and ‘Favorite.'” said Judi Arena, Paul’s longtime girlfriend who shared ownership in the horse and can now go outside every day and see Favorite Tale at her 15-acre farm in Pottstown, “being a good pet.”
Simon worked behind the scenes, but his work really mattered.
“When I was 50-years-old, I got a phone call asking me if I would crunch some numbers for the horsemen and I told my wife it took me 50 years for somebody to pay me to come to the track.” he said. “And I’ve been thrilled with it ever since.”
After 5-1 Point Dume came in from Penn National to win the Ballezzi, Lou fondly remembered his brother.
“My brother meant so much to me,” he said. “I was a kid when my father died. He did so much for me. He made me go to school, go to college, go to law school. He got me my first guitar which I could not afford it.”
Nature’s Candy was the 3-5 favorite in Wednesday’s $75,000 Disco Chick and never looked like anything but a winner under Andy Hernandez for trainer Hugo Padilla and owner Freedom Racing LLC
The 5-year-old mare was just off the early pace, took over in the stretch, and won comfortably by 2 1/2 lengths. She ran the 7 furlongs in 1:26.18
“This filly will win more races,” said Hernandez, who was winning on her for the fifth time.
When trainer Bernie Houghton comes to Parx from his Penn National base, look out. He brought two horses for the $75,000 Jump Start, the accomplished Houghton Shuffle, and the inexperienced 3-year-old Silhoutte Cove. It was the 3-year-old, ridden by Frankie Pennington for owner Douglas W. Gibson, who stole the show at 13-1.
Racing against a powerful group, it was Silhoutte Cove who made the decisive move and ran away from the field to win by 1 3/4 lengths and run the 7 furlongs in 1:23.76, nearly 2.5 seconds faster than the girls had run in the race before.
“You’ve got to bring the best you have in the barn here,” Houghton said. “I don’t take (the success) lightly. We work hard. I want to thank my whole crew for a beautiful job.”
How good has the trainer been at Parx in 2025? Well, how about 19 starts, with 6 wins, 5 seconds, 3 thirds, and $391,500 in earnings, a cool $20,605 per start.
From Keeneland to Parx, it was all about getting those pictures taken, which is always nice to consider and oh so thrilling when it actually happens.
