Parx Racing takes center stage on Saturday as the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes and the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby highlight an exciting card. The champion filly Songbird will try to run her record to a perfect 11 straight in the Cotillion. The Pennsylvania Derby will be a showdown between Nyquist and Exaggerator.
Parx Racing takes center stage this weekend, but this track was a long way in the making. Originally called Keystone Racetrack, that track replaced the venerable Liberty Bell Race Track, where I cashed a few winning tickets back in the day. After a purchase, Keystone was renamed Philadelphia Park and has been the home to Parx Racing since 2009, but Parx Racing takes center stage this week like never before.
As great as Songbird is, and she is great, she will have to attempt to defeat 2 other Grade 1 winners in Carina Mia and Cathryn Sophia, but she figures to be up to the task. Park Racing takes center stage on Saturday because Songbird has basically never been headed. She was briefly a length off the lead in June in the Summer Oaks before asserting her authority and was a half-length off the pace in her last race, the Alabama Stakes, before annihilating her field.
Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Songbird has posted 4 works since the Alabama Stakes. As is Hollendorfer’s style, he never sends out a short horse, Songbird worked fast in all of the recent drills accentuated by the :47 and change workout at Santa Anita on September 18.
The feeling is that the best way to try to beat Songbird is just hope a speed duel occurs, she gets hooked and she melts. That has not happened so far and runners have repeatedly proven they cannot try to keep pace with her early and live to tell about it.
Land Over Sea rates an upset glance vs. Songbird Saturday. She has lost to her several times but she is the only stone-cold closer in the field and she has made up ground against the champ in defeat.
The Pennsylvania Derby is also not just a two-horse race. Granted, Nyquist, at 5-2 and Exaggerator, at 9-2 on the morning line, are the main players, this is still an ensemble.
Awesome Slew won his first race at Parx Racing early in the month and he did it with ease. It was the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes and the son of Awesome Again prevailed by 7 lengths.
Summer Revolution is lightly-raced and this is a tough spot for him. He has won 2 of his 3 starts but was a tiring 4th in his only Graded attempt.
Connect has a right to improve. He didn’t get the best of trips last time in the Travers when he veered in at the start and was pretty much finished right then and there.
Cupid has shot his arrow correctly in half of his 8 starts. He is coming off a pair of Grade 2 wins and although he has speed, he has shown the ability to track the pace and still prevail. One of his best assets is his teacher, Bob Baffert.
Wild About Deb will have his hands full as just a maiden winner. He has lost 3 in a row and figures to be a huge price on the tote board.
Gun Runner could very well be the ‘wise guy’ horse. He showed his class running third to Nyquist and Exaggerator in the Kentucky Derby. He had a valid excuse 2 races back when hooking a sloppy strip in the Haskell and was done in by the marooned 13 post in the Travers.
My Man Sam is trained by the sensational Chad Brown and although he has only won once, he has a decent turn of late foot and will benefit by a hot pace.
Nyquist has a solid foundation for this race and will be a handful. Exaggerator will be a main factor late and especially dangerous if the track comes up sloppy.
Sunny Ridge hails from the red-hot barn of Jason Servis, who is hitting at 42% at Parx Racing this meet. Sunny Ridge beat small fields in all of his wins.
Discreet Lover will be lonely on the tote board and lonely at the end of the race. Hit It Once More is a New York-bred that was crushed the other time in open company.
The pace of the Pennsylvania Derby and the weather will determine the winner and there is plenty of speed in the line-up.
Awesome Slew just won from the marooned 14 post but he draws the rail for this race and will be sent along. As will Summer Revolution, Cupid, and Nyquist.
Nyquist, trained by Doug O’Neill, seems to have an edge in this department. He has valid speed, was compromised by the off going in the Haskell last time but he doesn’t need the lead to win. Look for jockey Mario Gutierrez to put Nyquist into the race early. That will give him first jump on the deep closers and that should be the difference in victory.
Good luck.
Parx Racing Takes Center Stage on Saturday
