Tip Top Thomas Eyes Second Stakes Win in Smarty Jones

Fresh off his first graded stakes victory in last month's Indiana Derby (G3), Jim Bakke and Gerry Isbister's Tip Top Thomas will look to secure back-to-back wins in the $200,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing.

The Smarty Jones, a 1 1/16-mile contest for 3-year-olds, acts as a local prep for Parx's $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) Sept. 20. Fittingly, the race's namesake, the 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and pride of Pennsylvania, was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Aug. 1.

A precocious colt who broke his maiden last summer at Saratoga Race Course before finishing second to Chancer McPatrick in the Champagne Stakes (G1), Tip Top Thomas appears to have finally hit his best form as a 3-year-old for trainer Todd Pletcher. The son of Volatile  improved as he stretched out in distance, taking a first-level Aqueduct Racetrack allowance optional claimer by 3 1/4 lengths before acing his first two-turn test in the Indiana Derby. 

John Velazquez, who piloted Tip Top Thomas to his front-running score at Horseshoe Indianapolis, retains the mount for Tuesday's race. 

Instant Replay, a troubled fifth in the Indiana Derby behind Tip Top Thomas, will look to turn the tables on the Pletcher trainee in the Smarty Jones. Trained by Brad Cox for global powerhouse stable Wathnan Racing, Instant Replay rallied to two straight stakes wins in the Bathhouse Row Stakes and Texas Derby ahead of his Indiana defeat. 

Leading the way for the local cast is Silver Trail Stables' Light Forever from the barn of Guadalupe Preciado. The son of Frosted , claimed for $35,000 back in January, has won three of his last four starts for his new stable, including two consecutive allowance contests at the Parx oval.

Entries: Smarty Jones S.

Parx Racing, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 4:47 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Instant Replay (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	Brad H. Cox	5/2
2	2Fact (KY)	Luis Saez	121	William Walden	5/1
3	3Tip Top Thomas (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Todd A. Pletcher	2/1
4	4Hypnus (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	124	Kenneth G. McPeek	9/2
5	5Happily Delusional (KY)	Paco Lopez	121	Louis C. Linder, Jr.	12/1
6	6Analog Jones (KY)	Eliseo Ruiz	121	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	12/1
7	7Light Forever (KY)	Andy Hernandez	121	Guadalupe Preciado	10/1

Sweet Seraphine Tops Evenly Matched Field for Cathryn Sophia

The lightly raced Sweet Seraphine heads the field for the female version of the Smarty Jones in the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia Stakes, the local steppingstone for the Sept. 20, $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies.

One of four New York shippers in the Cathryn Sophia, Stonehaven Steading's Sweet Seraphine exits a gutty triumph in Saratoga's Wilton Stakes June 22. The Wilton was just the third start for the $900,0000 daughter of Quality Road , who had made the leap up to stakes company following a second-out maiden tally at Churchill Downs May 24.

Also vanning down from the Empire State is Gold Square's Dry Powder, defeated a head by Sweet Seraphine in the Wilton and third in the Coaching Club American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1), the undefeated Decadent from the Kenny McPeek barn, and the Bill Mott-trained Table Flirt, a recent 4 1/4-length winner of an off-the-turf Spa allowance optional claiming race.

Entries: Cathryn Sophia S.

Parx Racing, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Race 11

• STK
• 1m 70y
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:14 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Sweet Seraphine (KY)	Javier Castellano	124	Cherie DeVaux	4/1
2	2Table Flirt (KY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	5/1
3	3Pretty Sassy (KY)	Edgar Morales	121	Brendan P. Walsh	10/1
4	4Disco Rules (PA)	Axel Concepcion	121	Riley Mott	10/1
5	5Taliesin (KY)	Frankie Pennington	121	Jacinto Solis	12/1
6	6Fede (FL)	Emisael Jaramillo	121	Armando De la cerda	10/1
7	7Ourdaydreaminggirl (KY)	Eliseo Ruiz	121	Louis C. Linder, Jr.	15/1
8	8Five a Side (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	121	John C. Servis	10/1
9	9Decadent (FL)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	124	Kenneth G. McPeek	6/1
10	10Brown Sugar (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Brad H. Cox	6/1
11	11Dry Powder (KY)	Luis Saez	121	Chad Summers	9/2
12	12Ruth (KY)	John R. Velazquez	121	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
13	13Reply (KY)	UNKNOWN	121	Brittany T. Russell	6/1
14	14Volleyballprincess (NC)	Paco Lopez	124	Louis C. Linder, Jr.	15/1
15	15Princess of Omaha (KY)	Marshall Mendez	121	Paul McEntee	20/1