Zipessa earns first stakes win in Penny Memorial

Jockey Florent Geroux completed a successful swing through the Mid-Atlantic on Independence Day weekend when bagging the $200,000 Dr. James Penny Memorial (G3) at Parx Racing on Monday aboard Zipessa.

Riding the four-year-old filly by City Zip less than 24 hours after winning the United Nations (G1) at Monmouth Park on World Approval, Geroux sent the chestnut to the front from the start, set moderate fractions of :24.37, :48.72, and 1:35.62, and had plenty left to kick clear of Santa Ana (G2) winner Tuttipaesi to score by two lengths.

Owned by Empyrean Stables and trained by Mike Stidham, Zipessa covered 1 1/16 miles on firm ground in 1:41.42 and paid $7.40 as the 5-2 third choice in a field of seven fillies and mares.

Tuttipaesi was 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Tiger Ride for the place, while 17-10 favorite Tammy the Torpedo was a neck farther back in fourth.

This was the first stakes win for Zipessa, who impressively captured her first two starts last year at Arlington and Del Mar, but faded to last in a field of eight in the Del Mar Oaks (G1).

Returning to action at Fair Grounds in March, Zipessa won a second-level allowance by more than five lengths, but was no match for champion Tepin when finishing fourth in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2). She fared better in her most recent stakes outing, placing third in the Mint Julep H. (G3), also at Churchill.

Zipessa was reared by Precious Princess, a stakes-placed daughter of Horse Chestnut. She was bred in Kentucky by G. Watts and Sally Humphrey and sold for $67,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling.

(Barbara Weidl/Equi-Photo)