BENSALEM, PA – The Grade 3, $250,000 Turf Monster Stakes was not aptly named as grass racing at Parx on Saturday was abandoned after an incident earlier in the card in which a horse was pulled up and vanned off the track. Two sources later confirmed the horse was euthanized. A statement from the track noted that “management moved Saturday's Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes from the turf course to the main track out of an abundance of caution.” But the surface switch suited Smooth B just fine, as the 9-year-old brought a turf record of 0 for 16 into the five-furlong race. On dirt, Smooth B is plenty capable, and he benefited from a perfect pace-tracking, ground-saving trip under Mychel Sanchez to notch his fourth career stakes victory.   By design, Sanchez gave Smooth B a spirited warmup coming out of the post parade. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “He’s a really cool horse to ride,” Sanchez said. “He likes to play around a little. He’s got a lot of body. He just needs to put his game face on and know that it’s time to go.” One of the expected speeds, odds-on favorite Jean Valjean, broke poorly from the gate, but there was plenty of pace as Talented Man and Fore Harp sped through an opening quarter of 22.02 seconds. Smooth B cruised up behind them on the turn, availed himself of an open rail corridor, and surged past the pacesetters without much fuss. He strutted under the line 4 1/2 lengths ahead of Talented Man, with Jean Valjean another 3 3/4 lengths back in third. Then came Center Mid Maddie and Fore Harp. Smooth B completed the distance in 58.31 and returned $8.60 to win as the second choice in the betting. Senbei and Real Talk were morning scratches. Souper Quest, Alogon, Boat’s a Rockin, Foxtrotanna, Catty’s Uncle, and Talkin Pharoah withdrew after the race officially came off the grass. Traders Luck scratched after acting up and unseating his rider in the gate. Earlier in the week, trainer Butch Reid described Smooth B as a “stable mascot,” and he marveled at the veteran’s pedigree. Smooth B and stakes winner Fore Harp’s dam is Katarica Disco, a winning Disco Rico mare that has also foaled multiple stakes winner Disco Ebo, stakes winner Fat Kat, stakes-placed Pink Princess and multiple stakes-placed Disco Rose. Bred in Pennsylvania by St. Omer’s Farm and WynOaks Farm, Smooth B is owned by LC Racing and went over $1 million in lifetime earnings with his Turf Monster victory. *** Asked in the winner’s circle if he expected The Boy’s Warrior to dominate the $100,000 Whistle Pig in the manner that he did, trainer Tim Girten minced no words. “Yes”. A debut winner at Presque Isle Downs on Aug. 28, The Boy’s Warrior, by Warrior’s Reward, toyed with five others in the stakes race restricted to Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-olds at six furlongs.   Ridden by Frankie Pennington, The Boy’s Warrior prompted the pace set by favored Beyondexpectations, blew by that one turning into the stretch, then turned on the jets to score by nine lengths in 1:12.50. Reelin N Dealin overcame a bad start to get up for second, four lengths ahead of a tired Beyondexpectations. “We sent him [to Parx] almost two weeks ago to gallop over the track,” Girten said. “Frankie worked him, and he got over the track beautifully. [That] answered the question whether he liked dirt or not. He’s a very nice animal. He’s going to run on anything, and he’s going to go any distance. Frankie said he was just playing down the lane.” Girten always had high hopes for The Boy’s Warrior, a homebred gelding owned by Warriors Reward LLC. “He trains like a 4-year-old, acts like a 4-year-old.” Girten already has a very detailed plan for The Boy’s Warrior. “He’s going to run in [the Mark McDermott Stakes at Presque Isle on Oct. 21], then point to [the Pennsylvania Nursery at Penn National on Nov. 27], and then back here for [the Wait for It Stakes on Dec. 30]. Then, he’s going to get 60 days off turned out in the field in South Carolina.” The Boy’s Warrior paid $5 to win as the second choice in the betting. *** Crisper rallied from off the pace to win the $100,000 Alphabet Soup Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The Alphabet Soup, the first stakes race run on the embattled Parx turf since it re-opened on Monday following a several-weeks shutdown due to safety concerns, was marred by an injury suffered by Freedom Eagle, who was pulled up and vanned off the course. A 5-year-old homebred by Tapiture trained by Tim Woolley for Ascoli Piceno Stables, Crisper saved ground entering the backstretch, angled out turning into the stretch, then ran down loose leader Fierce and Strong to prevail by a half-length in 1:43.19. Margin of Air finished another 3 1/2 lengths behind in third. The favorite paid $7.80 to win. “He broke excellent,” winning jockey Julio Hernandez said. “Some horses on the lead had trouble lugging out, and that made my job easier for me. On the backside, I’m loaded, and I just waited for them to come back to me.” The Alphabet Soup was the second consecutive stakes victory for Crisper, who took Penn National’s restricted Summer Fun over yielding turf on Aug. 30. Woolley believes added maturity has helped propel Crisper into a stakes horse. “He’s physically stronger,” Woolley said. “He can take his races better. He’s always been late switching his leads or doing silly little things like green horses do, but this year he’s been [better]. This year, we’ve been a little bit more aggressive to make him run early.” Woolley mentioned no specific future race for Crisper, but did say that he’d like to stretch him out ever farther in distance. *** First-time starter Honorable Win rallied up the rail to upset the $100,000 Miss Blue Tye Dye Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs. Odds-on favorite Anabam was pulled up entering the turn and vanned off the track. Two sources later confirmed that she was euthanized. In a separate incident, Carousel Queen unseated jockey Dexter Haddock leaving the gate, was corralled by the outrider, and jogged off the track. Trained by Kathleen DeMasi, Honorable Win made a nice impression in the paddock as a big and imposing filly, and certainly ran to her looks. She was outrun in the early stages as Tudox Dahlia and Anabam sparred for the lead, and still was many lengths behind as Tudox Dahlia passed the three-sixteenths pole with a clear lead. Tudox Dahlia tired from her early efforts, however, and Honorable Win closed stoutly under jockey Silvestre Gonzalez to score by 1 1/2 lengths in 1:15.77. Vivi Rose also kicked from the back of the pace to finish third, a head behind Tudox Dahlia. Honorable Win returned $20.20 to win. “She’s been super professional, and it’s amazing how she’s grown all summer,” DeMasi said. “Silvestre has been working her and she hasn’t been great out of the gate. I really liked that she got real hot as she walked into the paddock, and by the time she left, she cooled herself right down. That, to me, was a real positive. He just rode her perfectly and everything worked out for her.” Honorable Win is a homebred by Winchill owned by Pewter Stable. *** Check the bridges in the Philadelphia area for a jumper. A lot of show money wagered on Morning Matcha was lost as the 127-pound highweight finished fourth as the 1-5 favorite in the $100,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares at a mile and 70 yards. Instead, it was Foxy Junior who grabbed the brass ring, maneuvering up the inside in upper stretch to outfinish Pachelbel by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:43.27. Confirmed Star placed another three-quarters of a length back in third with Morning Matcha flattening out to finish fourth in the six-horse field. “I had plenty of horse,” winning jockey Jomar Torres said. “I waited for the hole to open a little bit. I asked her and she was there for me. She always tries.” Foxy Junior paid $15.80, $11.20 and $12.20 across the board, and won her fourth straight race on dirt. In her most recent start, the Princess of Sylmar Stakes over Presque Isle’s Tapeta, Foxy Junior finished fourth. Torres doesn’t necessarily believe that the surface was what beat Foxy Junior that day. “I didn’t have the best trip I wanted,” Torres said. “I had to check a little bit.” Trained by Bernard Houghton for owner-breeder Dianne Stern, Foxy Junior is a 4-year-old filly by Cuba. She has won 7 of 17 starts for earnings of $217,669. The Plum Pretty was her first stakes victory. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.