Beren may target Jim Dandy

Following a 9 1/2-length victory in Tuesday’s $100,000 Crowd Pleaser at Parx Racing, Beren is bound for Saratoga.

A 3-year-old son of Weigelia, Beren has won five of his last six starts. The Crowd Pleaser, an off-the-turf event for Pennsylvania-breds, was the colt’s first race around two turns.

“I’ve always felt he had the disposition for it,” trainer Butch Reid said Wednesday about Beren’s potential at longer distances. “Even though he’s quick, he rates kindly. Frankie [jockey Frankie Pennington] said he sat off those horses and had his ears pricked and was waiting for the call. He really responded when Frankie threw a rein at him.”

Beren came out of the Crowd Pleaser in good order.

“He was a little tired, but very sound and very happy,” Reid said. “I couldn’t resist taking a glance last night and I was figuring that somewhere around the end of July, they run a little race at Saratoga called the Jim Dandy that might fit into his wheelhouse. I haven’t really looked too closely, but we’re going to have a small string at Saratoga and that will be a possibility.”

Mainstay, a 2-year-old halfsister to champion and stablemate Vequist, is pointing to the Grade 3, $150,000 Schuylerville on July 15 at Saratoga. The Astern filly dominated her debut at Monmouth on June 4, winning by 7 3/4 lengths.

“She breezed about an hour ago and went incredibly well,” Reid said. “She went about 46 and change and did it on her own. She’ll have one more breeze here and then get up there and see if we can get her galloped and a breeze over the racetrack before the Schuylerville.”

Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Vequist, idle since finishing ninth in the Grade 2 Davona Dale on Feb. 27, is “coming up to her first breeze in the next couple of weeks. The time off did her a world of good. She’ll be up at Saratoga as well.”

◗ Hibiscus Punch, winner of the Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie on Feb. 20 at Laurel Park, will get “a little break through the summer,” according to trainer Justin Nixon.

“She had a couple of tough races, and we thought we’d give her a rest and gear up for the fall,” Nixon said. “There are some Grade 1s and, of course, the Barbara Fritchie in February.”

Hibiscus Punch finished fifth behind champion Gamine in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on May 1.

◗ Trainer Graham Motion is an eight-time winner of the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial at Delaware Park, and he looks primed to add to that impressive tally on July 10 with Blame Debbie, who grabbed the Searching Stakes at Pimlico last month.

“She had some skin disease that kind of broke out that week, but she seems to be getting over it and I’m really happy with her,” Motion said about the winner of last fall’s Grade 3 Dowager at Keeneland.

◗ Pixelate “is in good condition and doing well at Fair Hill,” said trainer Michael Stidham, who mentioned the $150,000 Buckland on July 26 at Colonial Downs as a likely next start. Pixelate captured the Prince George’s County on June 13 at Pimlico with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

◗ Multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful, game runnerup behind undefeated Chub Wagon in the Shine Again on June 13, exited the race in good condition, according to trainer Brittany Russell, and is headed to Pimlico’s Alma North for Maryland-breds on July 31.