BY BROCK SHERIDAN

Parx Racing will present four stakes worth a total of $675,000 Tuesday highlighted by the Grade 3 Smarty Jones and Florida-breds are among the entries in each of the added-money contests.

Florida breeders will be represented by Yes I Am Free as the 3-1 morning line favorite for the $100,000 Parx Dash and Awesome Strong is 6-1 in the program for the $75,000 Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint. Cagliostro is labeled at 5-1 on the morning line for the $300,000 Smarty Jones while Foggy Night (4-1) and Awesome Pic (6-1) are among the entries for the $200,000 Cathryn Sophia.

Golden Kernel Racing Stable’s Yes I Am Free will try to add to a history of success by Florida-breds in the Parx Dash as Pure Sensation won the race three times in 2016, 2017 and 2019 and Tightend Touchdown sprinted to victory in 2015.

Yes I Am Free makes his first start for trainer Gerald Bennet in the Parx Dash, which has attracted a field of 10 3-year-olds and older, plus two entered under main track only conditions. The Parx Dash is set for five furlongs on the turf.

A 7-year-old son of Uncaptured, Yes I Am Free comes into Tuesday’s affair after finishing fourth behind winner Front Run the Fed in the $150,000 Van Clief sprinting five-and-a-half furlongs on the turf at Colonial Downs on July 22. A winner of the $60,000 Sunny Isle overnight handicap two starts back on April 29 at Gulfstream, Yes I Am Free is also a two-time winner of the Grade 3 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint in 2022 and 2023.

Yes I Am Free is out of Yes It’s Valid, by Yes It’s True and has won 12 of 29 career starts with four seconds and three thirds and earnings of $663,694. He was bred by Sherry Mansfield and Kenneth H. Davis.

Emisael Jaramillo, who has ridden Yes I Am Free in nine of his last 10 races and 15 times overall, gets the return mount and they will break from post five.

His main rival in the Parx Dash appears to be Alogon, who exits a half-length victory in the $108,000 Wolf Hill going five-and-a-half furlongs at Monmouth Park on July 22. Alogon is trained by Edward T. Allard, who has named Abner Adorno to ride the 7-2 morning line choice from post nine.

Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint

CSLR Racing Partners LLC’s Awesome Strong, who last year swept the $100,000 Dr. Fager, $200,000 Affirmed and $400,000 In Reality divisions of the FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes at Gulfstream, looks to return to his winning ways in the six-and-a-half furlong Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint.

In two starts this year, the Jorge Delgado trainee was fifth in an upper level, $50,000 optional claiming won by Threes Over Deuces at six furlongs at Monmouth Park in June and eighth after setting the early fractions in the Grade 1 Haskell won by Geaux Rocket Ride at nine furlongs there on July 22.

The son of Ocala Stud stallion Awesome Slew out of Pleasant Ring, by Pleasant Tap has won four of six lifetime while banking $471,700 and was bred by John B. Penn. A $30,000 graduate of the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Yearling Sale where Elena Racing selected him out of the Sue Vacek consignment, Awesome Strong was also named the FTBOA champion 2-year-old male of 2022.

Awesome Strong will be ridden by Paco Lopez for the first time in the DeBunda Sprint and has post five.

The 3-1 morning line favorite is the Linda Rice-trained Joey Freshwater, who won the Grade 3 Bay Shore at Aqueduct in April. Most recently, the son of Jimmy Creed was eighth in a second level, $62,500 optional claiming going six furlongs at Saratoga on July 29 after finishing second to Florida-bred Uncashed in the $175,000 Quick Call taken off the turf on July 16, also at Saratoga.

Kendrick Carmouche will ride Joey Freshwater from post two.

Smarty Jones

David Ingordo, Talla Racing, James D. Spry, West Point Thoroughbreds and Nice Guys Stables’ Cagliostro will be trying for his first stakes victory in three tries in the Smarty Jones for 3-year-olds at a mile-and-one-sixteenth.

The 3-year-old son of Upstart is trained by Cherie DeVaux and was eighth in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby won by Kingsbarns at Fair Grounds in March. He was most recently third, beaten less than two lengths by winner Verifying in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis on July 8.

A $385,000 purchase by DeVaux as an agent from the Two Oaks Equine consignment at the OBS Spring Sale, Cagliostro has won one of six career starts with two seconds and a third while earning $112,328.

Out of A Rosefor Isabella, by Hard Spun, Cagliostro was bred by Lance Colwell and Janice Clark. Cristian Torres will ride the bay colt from the inside post one in the nine-horse field.

The Brad Cox-trained Salute the Stars, winner of the $150,000 Pegasus going a mile-and-a-sixteenth in June at Monmouth Park and seventh in the Haskell, is the morning line favorite for the Smarty Jones at 3-1.

Florent Geroux has the mount on Salute the Stars, who has drawn post two.

Cathryn Sophia

Foggy Night and Awesome Pic are among eight 3-year-old fillies entered for the mile-and-70-yard Cathryn Sophia.

Foggy Night has won two of her last three including a nearly two-length score in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks at Delaware Park on July 1 and a six-length victory against upper level, $40,000 optional claiming fillies and mares at Parx on June 5.

Most recently, the Robert Reid-trained daughter of Journeyman Stud’s leading Florida
sire Khozan was second to Occult while having a difficult trip in the Grade 3 Monmouth Park Oaks on July 29.

Breeders Brent and Crystal Fernung sold Foggy Night for $20,000 to Pine Brook Farm out of their Journeyman Bloodstock Services consignment at the 2022 OBS Spring Sale. She has provided an exceptional return for Pine Brook while earning $328,550 in her career with three wins and five seconds in nine starts.

The daughter of the Stormy Atlantic mare Settling Seas will be ridden by Luis Saez from post five.

Awesome Pic will be trying to build on a victory in her last race against first level, $17,000 optional claiming fillies and mares going a mile at Delaware Park on July 1 and she has won three of her last six starts.

A daughter of Awesome Slew out of Shirley’s Pic, by Overdriven, Awesome Pic is owned by trainer by Robert Smith in partnership with breeder Richard Kingston George and Wayne and Chico Owens LLC.

She has won six of 13 career starts with one second and two thirds while banking $146,105.

Daniel Centeno will ride Awesome Pic from post one.

The morning line favorite in the Cathryn Sophia is Southlawn at 3-1.

Southlawn won the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March before finishing out of the money in the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks won by Pretty Mischievous at Churchill Downs on May 5. She was given time off after the Oaks and in her comeback, finished fifth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks won by Wet Paint on July 22.

Southlawn will be ridden by Florent Geroux and will depart from post six.