Barbara’s Smile, always well placed, swept to the lead on Parx Racing’s final turn and drew away to a 2 3/4-length victory in a $35,000 allowance hurdle on Tuesday.
Kinross Farm’s King Ting, who set the pace for much of the 2 1/16-mile race, held on for second, a half-length ahead of Personal Start in third.
Trained by Julie Gomena and ridden by Mark Watts, Barbara’s Smile won her first race of the year after two third-place finishes. Michael A. Smith’s five-year-old Curlin mare ran the distance in 3:50.53 on firm turf at the suburban Philadelphia track. She went off at 10.10-to-1 and paid $22.20 to win.
“She placed herself in perfect position,” Watts said. “She was jumping very swiftly and very well.”
In the day’s first race, Irv Naylor’s Osmoz drew away in the stretch to win a $30,000 maiden hurdle by 4 1/2 lengths in 3:49.34 for 2 1/16 miles. Trained by Cyril Murphy and ridden by Carol-Ann Sloan, Osmoz went off at 17-to-1 and paid $36 to win.