Parx Racing's premiere stakes, the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, is Saturday at the Bensalem, Pa. oval. Ten colts will line up looking for their first Grade 1 win, with three of them knocking on the door after facing much tougher earlier in the summer.
Baeza, the highly regarded son of McKinzie, finished third in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes and has the most pressure to get the win here.
Gosger, Lexington Stakes (G3) winner and runner-up in the Haskell (G1), also is getting a lot of buzz for this race.
Bob Baffert sends Goal Oriented back to the East Coast after top-four finishes in the Preakness and Haskell. The son of Not This Time is making his fifth lifetime start and comes in off the patented Baffert work pattern.
Though these three will deservedly get the most attention, the rest of the field is no slouch. Take a look at the speed figures below and you'll see why.
Here's a horse-by-horse overview of the field.
The Pennsylvania Derby is race 14, post time 6 p.m. EDT. Fanduel TV will have daylong coverage of the festivities at Parx.
Free past performances for Saturday's major stakes are courtesy of Brisnet.
Here are the lifetime speed figures for the Pennsylvania Derby entrants.
| No. | Horse | Beyer* | TFUS* | Brisnet | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | So Sandy | 94 | 117 | 97 | 119 |
| 2 | Altobelli | 78 | 106 | 86 | 128 |
| 3 | Magnitude | 108 | 126 | 105 | 129 |
| 4 | David of Athens | 96 | 119 | 102 | 125 |
| 5 | Happily Delusional | 80 | 104 | 96 | 107 |
| 6 | Goal Oriented | 101 | 129 | 105 | 131 |
| 7 | Big Truzz | 100 | 125 | 105 | 141 |
| 8 | Baeza | 103 | 123 | 107 | 134 |
| 9 | Gosger | 101 | 128 | 106 | 138 |
| 10 | Mo Plex | 96 | 118 | 97 | 126 |
*Beyer and TimeformUS speed figures are courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
HRN handicappers
Parx is in the spotlight on this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Track announcer Jessica Paquette offers insight on the Penn Derby and the Cotillion and how they will fit into the 3-year-old awards picture. Robert Clay, breeder and co-owner of Baeza, dials in to talk about the colt's dam, Puca. Finally, Super Screener's Mike Shutty offers handicapping tips for the Saturday stakes. Listen here.
Find out why HRN's Ed DeRosa advises to fade Baeza in all wagers.
Meanwhile, Head-to-Head handicappers Laurie Ross and Ashley Tamulonis rate him among the top choices.
HorseCenter's Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman talk Pennsylvania Derby day and Cotillion, where they differ in their final assessments. Check out their takes here.
For the Super Screener, obvious horses can blind you to opportunities for big scores. Here's a live long shot that can spice up your Pennsylvania Derby tickets.
Finally, here's a quick look at the Cotillion.
