Ruler On Ice Tepid Pennsylvania Derby Favorite

Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice, most recently 4th in the Travers, has been installed as the 5-2 morning line favorite for Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby from Parx Racing.

Ruler On Ice won an entry level allowance race at Parx in February and Garrett Gomez will climb aboard for the first time on Saturday. The Kelly Breen charge figures to save all of the ground from the inside post and has enough positional speed to keep the leaders in his sights.

Rattlesnake Bridge could be the value play at 4-1. Kiaran McLaughlin's Travers runner-up flashed promise right out of the box with a debut sprint win at Gulfstream in February and a place finish behind Uncle Mo in the Timely Writer second time out. He caught off tracks in two subsequent flat mile starts and seemed to turn the corner in Monmouth Park's Long Branch Stakes in July. His numbers continue to climb and John Velazquez rides him well.

To Honor And Serve capped a successful juvenile campaign with wire job tallies in the Nashua and Remsen at Aqueduct. He began his sophomore season with a pair of non-threatening show finishes in the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby and disputed the pace before fading in his needed Amsterdam sprint return Aug 1. He was back to his old self in a romping route win at the Spa Aug 26 and appears ready for prime time once again. John Velazquez abandons for Rattlesnake Bridge but today's pilot Jose Lezcano booted him home in the aforementioned Nashua.

Tony Dutrow has an upcoupled pair (Rush Now, J W Blue) and both are cross-entered in the grassy Kent Stakes at Delaware Park. The former is a pace factor and the latter rallied for the show in the Travers.

Pender Harbour captured two legs of the Canadian Triple Crown and won his lone conventional dirt try at Fort Erie. The late runner needs pace help and a fair racetrack.

Arthur's Tale has not competed since a neck defeat in the Wood Memorial and might need the outing.

Norman Asbjornson exits a sharp Optional Claiming route win at Park but his speed ratings are a bit light.

Isn't He Perfect rounds out the field. The outsider switches surfaces in his third start off a layoff and tries to snap a six-race skid.

The Grade 2, nine furlong Pennsylvania Derby goes at the 11th race at Parx on September 24th with a scheduled post time of 5:45pm eastern.