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. 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.