The 31st annual Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on September 25 could provide a decisive moment in the battle for the U.S. 3-year-old colts’ championship.
Four horses targeting the race are among the top 3-year olds in training: Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, Life Is Good and Medina Spirit, while another, Midnight Bourbon, is a longshot for the award.
Founded in 1979, it took 36 years for it to become the race it is now - a G1 with a potential big say on the destination of this particular Eclipse Award. It has had two champions in its most recent seven runnings - Will Take Charge (2013) and West Coast (2017). In addition, 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome finished sixth to eventual Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Bayern.
Yet no Kentucky Derby or Belmont winners have ever won the Pennsylvania Derby. Just two have tried (Nyquist, 6th in 2016, and California Chrome). Summer Squall, who won the 1990 Preakness, is the only Triple Crown race winner to have also won it.
Most years, victories in three G1s is enough to win the 3-year old championship. In the last 25 years, the award has been won 18 times with three or fewer G1 wins.
Since its inception in 1979, the Pennsylvania Derby has not been held twice, the first in 2006 because of extensive renovations and in 2020 because of Covid. The race used to be run on Labor Day weekend, but it moved to later in September to focus as a Breeders’ Cup prep. Now with a purse of $1 million, it has become the top Breeders’ Cup prep race for 3-year old colts.
The possible Pennsylvania Derby entrants include:
Bobby Bo
Speightster - Auspicious (by Indian Charlie)
Baffert trainee was a runner-up in the Albany Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga last out. The colt, owned by Little Feather Racing, could be among the invaders shipping west if all goes to plan. Unraced at 2, he took three starts to break his maiden and appears to be running well.
Bourbonic (TRC world rank 605)
Bernardini - Dancing Afleet (Afleet Alex)
Calumet Farm’s Bourbonic (trainer Todd Pletcher) has been nominated to the race after finishing third in the G3 West Virginia Derby. The talented son of Bernardini was able to score an upset to win the G2 Wood Memorial and has been training well for Pletcher at Belmont Park. He would be Pletcher’s first winner of the race since Harlan’s Holiday in 2002.
Essential Quality (TRC world rank 5)
Tapit - Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality)
Trainer Brad Cox has made some noise about Essential Quality prepping for the Breeders’ Cup in the G1 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park on October 2, but this seems a longshot given that owners Godolphin have selected this race for the G1 Whitney Stakes winner Maxfield.
Godolphin have given some indications they may be prepared to race their top horses against each other, and earlier this year it seemed possible that Maxfield and Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide would both go for the Stephen Foster Stakes. However, that never came to fruition.
So Godolphin have a choice: Enter Essential Quality in the G1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita, or run him in restricted company for the last time in the Pennsylvania Derby. Having run another strong race in the Travers Stakes, notching a 107 Beyer Speed Figure to go with his 109 in the Belmont Stakes, he looks the part of a top sophomore, having increased his lead in the stretch from a head to a neck at the wire over Midnight Bourbon, with the latter having traveled 2¼ fewer lengths less than the winner. A win here would cement him as the Eclipse Award winner, no matter what occurs in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Favorite.
First Captain (TRC world rank 609)
Curlin - America (AP Indy)
Like Todd Pletcher, Shug McGaughey has won this race before. In 2009, Phipps Stable brought in Gone Astray, who won by more than nine lengths over the rest of the field. However, the field this year looks to be much tougher. First Captain did win the G3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park earlier this summer, but last out he could only manage a third-place finish to Dynamic One in the Curlin Stakes.
Hot Rod Charlie (TRC world rank 27)
Oxbow - Indian Miss (Indian Charlie)
Doug O’Neill’s charge seems to be this year’s hard-luck horse. He runs hard and well every time, but he has only one stakes win this year to show for it. Granted, he did cross the line first by a nose over Mandaloun in the G1 Haskell only to be disqualified because of a questionable ride by his jockey, Flavien Prat. And perhaps this is part of the problem with his performance. He has been ridden by four different jockeys, starting with Abel Cedillo, then Prat, Tyler Gaffalione, Joel Rosario for his G2 Louisiana Derby win, then back to Prat for his last three races.
His connections also aggressively pointed to the Pacific Classic coming out of the Haskell disqualification, only to reconsider. And then they reconsidered again - for the Pennsylvania Derby.
Despite all this, Hot Rod Charlie continues to run among the best speed figures of all 3-year olds in his last couple of races, looking particularly impressive in the Belmont, where he lost by just over a length after running the fastest first quarter in stakes history. Should he win here, and voters remember the Haskell result, he is still viable for the championship. Contender.
Keepmeinmind (TRC world rank 360)
Laoban - Inclination (Victory Gallop)
The Spendthrift Farm runner appears to have improved in his last couple of outings. His career-best performances have been between 8½ and 9 furlongs. In seven Graded stakes races at these distances, he has won once, placed twice and finished third twice. Thus, the Pennsylvania Derby should be in his wheelhouse given that, in the two instances where he finished second, it was behind division leader Essential Quality.
Life Is Good (TRC world rank 86)
Into Mischief - Beach Walk (Distorted Humor)
A multiple Graded stakes winner before being sidelined in the spring with an ankle chip, this former Baffert standout appears to be rounding back into form. Before being taken off the Triple Crown trail, he had been nothing short of spectacular, having won the G3 Sham Stakes over eventual Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit by three-quarters of a length, and then increasing that margin to eight lengths in the San Felipe with an eye-popping 108 Beyer.
In the interim, owners China Horse Club and Winstar Farm, switched trainers from Baffert to new Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. His return in the G1 H Allen Jerkens left him with his first career loss - beaten by the talented and battle-tested Jackie’s Warrior (TRC world rank 11), whose win gave him his third G1 victory. Life Is Good, however, was equally impressive in defeat, losing by just a neck and recording a strong 107 Beyer. He should move forward off this.
There are only two questions with Life is Good: Is the son of Into Mischief better shorter or longer. We saw last year with another of his sire’s sons, Authentic, stamina was no issue. Pedigree-wise, Distorted Humor on the bottom should help.
In his impressive San Felipe win, Life Is Goof drifted out wide towards the far rail. The surgery was done to remove the chip, and hopefully correct this issue as well. However, he did drift a bit at Saratoga, and according to Trakus ran a length and a quarter longer than the winner. As the competition increases, every bit of ground helps. Contender.
Medina Spirit (TRC world rank 114)
Protonico - Mongolian Changa (Brilliant Speed)
Many have dismissed Medina Spirit based on the controversy created by his overage for betamethasone in the Kentucky Derby, but he has performed impressively in his seven stakes starts with a record of 7-3-3-1. There is no guarantee he will be disqualified from the Kentucky Derby, so he remains firmly in the championship race. He is conditioned by Bob Baffert, who is tied with fellow Hall of Famers Woody Stephens and Nick Zito with three wins in the Pennsylvania Derby.
Medina Spirit ran a 100 Beyer in the Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar on August 29, beating Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World (TRC #365) by one and a quarter lengths. This margin may seem trivial, but it is the widest in any stakes victory Medina Spirit has had - he notched his first in the G3 Robert Lewis by a neck over Roman Centurion and his second in the Kentucky Derby by half a length over Mandaloun (TRC #98). Having competed in six Graded stakes races in the spring, this is a fresher, stronger edition of the horse seen in the spring who should also move forward off his latest win. Contender
Midnight Bourbon (TRC world rank 164)
Tiznow - Catch The Moon (Malibu Moon)
The Travers was his coming-out party. In his first race back after his runner-up finish in the Preakness, he looked to be fading before Hot Rod Charlie appeared to cut him off, causing him to clip heels and lose his rider, Paco Lopez, while somersaulting. His amazing athleticism allowed him to come out of the Haskell with just a few scrapes and bruises. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen gave him a complete physical and got him back on the training track without missing a beat.
Midnight Bourbon’s performance in the Travers, where he lost by a neck to Essential Quality, shows he is among the best of his generation. After a career-best performance, the question is whether the latest Winchell Thoroughbreds star can move forward. A win here and in the Breeders’ Cup Classic could stoke championship talk. Contender.
Mr Wireless (TRC world rank 158)
Dialed In - Voussoir (Arch)
The last time the Pennsylvania Derby was run, in 2019, trainer Bret Calhoun almost earned his second G1 win with Mr Money, who finished a neck behind winner Math Wizard after running over the more testing part of the track. Mr Wireless enters the race the same way Mr Money did, with wins in the G3 West Virginia Derby and the G3 Indiana Derby. Also, defeating G2 winner Bourbonic and black-type winner Warrant, Mr Wireless comes out of the race having faced better competition than his stablemate. He will need the seasoning given the depth of this field.
Sadly, last year there was no Pennsylvania Derby. However, it seems waiting two years for a field of this quality may have been well worth it.
Todd Sidor, an attorney by trade, has produced equine law seminars, and has been a member of racing partnerships for a number of years. His more than two decades’ passion and respect for the sport of horse racing will always make him, first and foremost, a racing enthusiast with a penchant for racing history.