By Dick Jerardi
Three stakes races for Pennsylvania Breds, all at 6 furlongs over a 1-hour time span on Wednesday afternoon at Parx. What better way to get the 2026 stakes schedule underway than to see a potential star demonstrate for a third consecutive time the power of raw speed followed by an owner/trainer/jockey combination demonstrating once again when they get together in Parx stakes, they are pretty much money in the bank.
First up was Shane’s Wonder in the $75,000 Wait For It Stakes. The seven-horse field scratched down to four, and the only issue was if the overwhelming 1-5 favorite would get out of the gate cleanly. Well, he was immediately in front, but never by much until it was time to separate at the top of the stretch. And, at that point, Shane’s Wonder went off by himself quickly, winning eased up by a felt-like-more 4 1/4 lengths, running the distance in 1:10.49.
Now, 3-for-3, with a combined margin of 20 lengths, Shane’s Wonder seems desinited for open stakes. And soon for owner Updowncharlybrown Stud, trainer Alfredo Velazquez, and jockey Eliseo Ruiz. The winner’s circle was jammed with dozens of “owners.” The excitement around this 3-year-old gelding has been building since his first start, and nothing about his stakes debut dimmed any of it.
“He’s getting better and better and better,” Ruiz said. “He gave me an easy lead. He took pressure and he didn’t care. He just wanted to go.”
And go, he did.
“You want to run,” Ruiz said he thought at the quarter pole. “Let’s do it.”
Velazquez has had some very good horses in his Parx Hall of Fame career, including 2025 Parx Horse of Year Buccherino.
“It’s the time we are going to have to face the real ones and then we find out what we got,” the trainer said. “So far, we know what we got, but now we have to wait for the real test.”
Ruiz has told the trainer he thinks Shane’s Wonder is better than Buccherino, a horse that finished a strong third in the Gallant Bob, a race that could be in the September future for Shane’s Wonder.
“Maybe, one time they run together and we see what’s going on that day,” Ruiz said of the two barn standouts.
Glenn Bennett’s LC Racing, trainer Butch Reid, and jockey Paco Lopez have an incredible strike rate when they get together at Parx. With Lopez back to Parx this week and just back to riding a few weeks ago after missing nearly two months with a broken ankle, the timing could not have been any better for the trio, with the $100,000 Unique Bella and $100,000 Page McKenney on the calendar.
Reid and Bennett had Carmelina and Disco Ebo in the Unique Bella, with Frankie Pennington on Disco Ebo and Lopez on Carmelina. It was those two 1-2 down the backstretch with the field strung out behind them. After sitting patiently behind her stablemate until the stretch, Lopez and Carmelina cruised on by and won comfortably by 3 1/2 lengths in 1:10.30. Disco Ebo tired late and had to settle for fourth, so the two mares finished exactly where they did in the 2025 Unique Bella, first and fourth.
“It’s good to see Paco back in town and back in action,” Reid said.
Carmelina’s first race of the year, a handicap at Colonial Downs, had been pretty much of a disaster, with a very long van ride, a very long post time delay, and a fifth place finish. This effort was much more like it for a 5-year-old with six stakes wins and earnings of $570,860. Not bad for a horse that cost $44,000 at the sales.
“That’s a wonderful return,” Bennett said. “I wish they were all like that. She’s been great.”
Bennett had his parents in the winner’s circle, but neglected to bring his mother-in-law, the mare’s namesake. There should be other chances with a mare that has nine wins in 22 starts.
The Page McKenney did look like a two-horse race on paper and it played out exactly that way, with the venerable 7-5 favorite Twisted Ride catching a flyer at the start and immediately opening up a clear lead, getting what appeared to be a very good chance to pass $900,000 in earnings with a win. But there was that connection again with 2-1 Ninetyprecentmaddie going from fifth to fourth to third to second and finally challenging Twisted Ride, a horse that rarely gets passed in the stretch. But Ninetyprecentmaddie had the momentum and went on to win by 1 length in 1:09.78. It was another 5 lengths back to third place.
“I’m very excited to come back to Parx,” Lopez said. “I love riding for Butch.”
It was the 6-year-old gelding’s fifth stakes win and increased her earnings to $715,650. Ninetyprcentmaddie was third in the McKenney last year and went two better this year.
“It’s really neat to win (the races back to back),” Reid said. “Looks like all you need to do is name Paco on them and get out of his way. Two solid horses, nice Pennsylvania Breds, looking for a big year out of both of them.”
On the suggestion of Reid’s wife Ginny, Bennett claimed Amblin Easy for $25,000 on Oct. 25, 2104 at Parx. She won three races for him, but has been really good as a broodmare with her foals, including Ninetyprcentmaddie’s full sister Ninetypercentbrynn, earning more than $1.1 million.
“She was just a beautiful, real black horse; she was just good to look at,” Bennett remembered. “I just did it fooling around and got very lucky with it.”
