Fourstar Crook proved that she’s more than just a dominating player in New York-bred company on Tuesday by notching her first graded stakes win, and her eighth consecutive, in the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial (G3), the Independence Day feature at Parx Racing.
Seventh in a field of eight around the far turn, the five-year-old daughter of Freud rallied wide into the stretch under Joe Bravo, caught Cambodia inside the furlong pole and drove clear to win by 2 1/4 lengths.
Owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables and Gary Aisquith, Fourstar Crook is trained by Chad Brown and covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:42.78. She paid $9.20 as the 7-2 third choice.
My Impression, who rated in third until the stretch, overtook Cambodia late for second by a neck. The latter pressed Thundering Sky through fractions of :24, :48.64 and 1:12.55 before weakening late.
The order of finish was rounded out by Light Up Our World, 2-1 favorite Elysea’s World, Thundering Sky, Light In Paris, and Tin Type Gal. Brown also trains Elysea’s World and Light In Paris.
Placed in one of her first three starts, Fourstar Crook commenced her current win streak in October 2015 with an open company maiden score. Five of her next six wins occurred in New York-bred races, including stakes wins in the $150,000 Yaddo at Saratoga and the $125,000 John Hettinger and $125,000 Mount Vernon at Belmont Park in her past three starts. Her career mark now stands at 11-8-1-0, $544,050.
Bred by Kathleen Feron, Fourstar Crook is out of Avril a Portugal, by D’Accord. She hails from the family of top 1970s sprinter Honorable Miss.
