The Pennsylvania Derby has come up Large once again
The Haskell and the Travers may have had American Pharoah, but the summer’s final million dollar affair for three-year-olds has attracted an excellent field without him. Building on the momentum of having Bayern and California Chrome run last year, Saturday’s Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx will bring together a noteworthy field of ten, led by the Wood Memorial winner, Frosted.
It will be the Kiaran McLaughlin trained son of Tapit’s second race sans the Triple Crown winner since earning a Grade 1 victory at Aqueduct back in April. Three tough races to that one in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, and most recently in the Travers, in which he threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Pharoah, have proved Frosted’s class, but now the gray colt will be looking to get back into the winner’s circle in the nine furlong test. It will not be easy for the 5-2 morning line favorite, though, as there are a number of other talented sophomores looking to win their first seven figure dollar event.
Chief among them is the streaking Gimme Da Lute. While American Pharoah, and then Dortmund, were gaining all the ink from the Bob Baffert barn, it is this son of champion Midnight Lute who has really come to hand this summer. Since returning to California in the late spring, the Watson, Pegram, and Weitman owned runner has reeled off four straight stakes wins in California. Adding to the accomplishment, he has kept the winning streak going at four different distances, ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, and at three different racetracks; Santa Anita, Los Alamitos, and Del Mar. *Editor's Note -- Gimme Da Lute will be scratched from the Pennsylvania Derby, per Jim Dunleavy.
Much like Frosted, Todd Pletcher's Madefromlucky has also felt the wrath of American Pharoah, having been well beaten by him in three of his last seven races. The good news for the son of Lookin at Lucky, is that he has won the other four, including the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby most recently. John Velazquez will pick up the mount Saturday at Parx. Rick Violette’s Upstart is another all too familiar with the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Most recently, he performed well, but not good enough, finishing third in the Haskell, and fourth in the Travers. Earlier this year, he did get the best of Frosted in a pair of graded stake races at Gulfstream Park.
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The up and coming Island Town could be the most interesting of those 10-1 higher on the morning line. The son of Hard Spun has won graded stakes in two of his last three races, including a sharp score in the recent Smarty Jones stakes over the Parx main surface. Draw a line through his disappointing finish over a wet track in the Indiana Derby two starts back, and you could easily see the Ian Wilkes trained runner fitting in with these.
Another pair of note in the Pennsylvania Derby will be the well-traveled Kentucky Derby runners, War Story and Mr. Z. The former will break from the rail, and was a fast finishing 3rd in the West Virginia Derby last time, while the latter will break from the far outside and won the Ohio Derby for trainer D. Wayne Lukas two starts back. Iron Fist, a talented runner from the Jerry Hollendorfer, the Dwyer 3rd, Tommy Macho, and Nick Zito’s Battle Midway complete the deep lineup.
Post time for the signature race of Parx will be at 5:45 PM on Saturday. Keep in mind, this is the same race that last year’s winner, Bayern, used as a springboard to a victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic.