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 The grandstand at Parx on Thursday Morning |
The highlight of the Parx Racing season is betPARX Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and Cotillion (G1) day, this year taking place on Saturday September 24. Conditions were excellent during training hours, with clear skies Thursday and Friday morning with temperatures in the low 70's Thursday and mid 50's Friday. The Derby features some of the best 3-year-olds of the east going 1 1/8 miles on the main track, while the Cotillion is its distaff counterpart, for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles, and both races have $1 million purses. The undercard includes the $300,000 Gallant Bob (G2) for three-year-old sprinters at 6 furlongs, the $300,000 Turf Monster Stakes (G3) for older horses sprinting 5 furlongs on the turf, the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (G3) for older horses at 1 1/2 miles on the main track, $200,000 Parx Dirt Mile for older horses at 1 mile, the $200,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred older fillies and mares at 1 mile 70 yards, and the $200,000 Alphabet Soup Handicap for Pennsylvania-bred older horses at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Entries for Saturday from Equibase.
Click the small photo to see a larger version.
Cyberknife is the 3-1 second choice from post 5 with Florent Geroux aboard. Trainer Brad Cox said, "There are not a lot of options; really none left against straight 3-year-olds. He really is doing well. Once again, he's in this race because of how well he's doing. I didn't really think anything about this until last week, and I spoke to Al Gold about it and we thought he deserved it. He's a Grade 1 horse and it's a Grade 1 race. And look, I'm excited about matching up with Taiba. He's a very good horse, a Grade 1 winner in his own right. There are some other very good horses in the race. It looks like a really good group of horses."
Taiba is the 5-2 morning line favorite. Mike Smith gets the call for trainer Bob Baffert. Smith said, "He was asked to do a lot early, wasn't he? From the Santa Anita Derby he went to the Kentucky Derby. You have to remember that, even though he has run in these high-profile races, he is very lightly raced. He's still learning, He's learning to take dirt in his face and he is maturing. He has just shown so much raw talent. He has run against the best of them."
Tawny Port is 6-1 for trainer Brad Cox. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides out of post 7. Cox said, "Irad (Ortiz Jr.) likes him. He's ridden him the last few starts and we're excited to have him back on him. He's doing well, so we'll see how it goes. With Cyberknife, it wasn't a whole lot of, coming out of the Travers and ‘we're going to go to Parx' way of thinking. I thought we might go straight to the Breeders' Cup. He had a really good breeze last weekend. Time wise it wasn't anything crazy fast, but it's how he's doing, how he looks, how he's acting. This is one last swing at a Grade 1 around two turns for straight 3-year-olds."
Adare Manor is the 7-2 second choice in the morning line in the Cotillion, and gets Mike Smith from post 2. Trainer Bob Baffert, who will stay in California, added, "(Assistant Jimmy Barnes) knows my horses, He knows (stablemate) Taiba very well and it's nice when you have a rider that sort of knows the ins and outs of certain horses. (Smith) has never ridden the filly, but Mike is very good with fillies. I won't have to say too much. When you have a top rider, you don't need to say too much to them."
Secret Oath is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Cotillion. Luis Saez gets the call for trainer D. Wayne Lukas from post 6. Lukas said, "She is only getting stronger. She sure is filling out and getting better and holding a lot of weight. She is probably maturing into the filly that we wanted her to be. (Secret Oath and Nest) are going to lock up again (in the Breeders' Cup Distaff). We'll have a chance to settle it again. I'm looking forward to that, but I'm looking forward to Saturday."
Left: The sun breaks through the clouds over the barns on Thursday morning.
Right: Geese visiting the barns at Parx Racing.
Cyberknife is the 3-1 second choice from post 5 with Florent Geroux aboard in the Pennsylvania Derby. Owner Al Gold said, "My guess is that Epicenter has the 3-year-old title wrapped up, but I'm looking forward to Saturday. Cyberknife has been working well and we needed to do something before the Breeders' Cup. Hopefully we'll be ready and we should have a really good matchup again (against Taiba)."
Icy Storm is 30-1 from post 2 in the Pennsylvania Derby. Regular rider Jeremy Laprida gets the call again for trainer Felix Flores-Coba. He comes here off a second place finish in a Parx allowanc after winning claiming races at Tampa, Parx, and Monmouth Park.
Naval Aviator is 20-1 from post 10 in the Pennsylvania Derby. New rider Abner Adorno gets the call for trainer Ernesto Padilla-Preciado. He is making his stakes debut off a second place finish in an allowance at Saratoga.
Taiba is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the Pennsylvania Derby. Jockey Smith said, "He was asked to do a lot early, wasn't he? From the Santa Anita Derby he went to the Kentucky Derby. You have to remember that, even though he has run in these high-profile races, he is very lightly raced. He's still learning, He's learning to take dirt in his face and he is maturing. He has just shown so much raw talent. He has run against the best of them."
Tawny Port is 6-1 for trainer Brad Cox in the Pennsylvania Derby. Cox said, "Irad (Ortiz Jr.) likes him. He's ridden him the last few starts and we're excited to have him back on him. He's doing well, so we'll see how it goes. With Cyberknife, it wasn't a whole lot of, coming out of the Travers and ‘we're going to go to Parx' way of thinking. I thought we might go straight to the Breeders' Cup. He had a really good breeze last weekend. Time wise it wasn't anything crazy fast, but it's how he's doing, how he looks, how he's acting. This is one last swing at a Grade 1 around two turns for straight 3-year-olds."
We The People is 12-1 from post 6 in the Pennsylvania Derby. Regular rider Flavien Prat will be in the irons for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. The Peter Pan (G3) winner was 4th in the Belmont Stakes (G1) before finishing second in the West Virginia Derby (G3).
Adare Manor is the 7-2 second choice in the morning line in the Cotillion, and gets Mike Smith from post 2. Trainer Bob Baffert, who will stay in California, added, "(Assistant Jimmy Barnes) knows my horses, He knows (stablemate) Taiba very well and it's nice when you have a rider that sort of knows the ins and outs of certain horses. (Smith) has never ridden the filly, but Mike is very good with fillies. I won't have to say too much. When you have a top rider, you don't need to say too much to them."
Secret Oath is the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Cotillion. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said, "She is only getting stronger. She sure is filling out and getting better and holding a lot of weight. She is probably maturing into the filly that we wanted her to be. (Secret Oath and Nest) are going to lock up again (in the Breeders' Cup Distaff). We'll have a chance to settle it again. I'm looking forward to that, but I'm looking forward to Saturday."
Society is 8-1 from post 9 in the Cotillion. Sarah Campion, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen said, "It was an easy ship (from Saratoga), like three hours. "She's settled in really well, tack walked today and seems very happy. She's doing really well. We kept half a barn up there. The weather was really nice, the track was great. A lot of times, you're like one of five out there. She's a nice filly. She's fast. I like her chances. She won going 1 1/16 at Churchill and that Charles Town race was perfect for her. She loved that. She's really sensible and I think Florent (Geroux) should get along with her pretty well. There are some good fillies to contend with."
Nakatomi is 9-2 from post 11 in the Gallant Bob Stakes. New jockey Joel Rosario rides for trainer Wesley Ward. hecomes here off an allowance win at Churchill after winning the Bowman Mill Stakes at Keeneland.
Western River is 8-1 from post 2 in the Greenwood Cup Stakes. New jockey Flavien Prat gets the call for trainer Rodolphe Brisset. he comes here off a disappointing 12th and last place finish in the Dueling Grounds Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs.
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