Pennsylvania Derby (Grade 1)

D. WAYNE Lukas had explained Seize The Grey’s disappointing runs in the Belmont Stakes and the Jim Dandy Stakes as the Arrogate colt not liking the track at Saratoga. The Preakness winner came back to his best form in no uncertain terms, winning the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby over nine furlongs in a dominant fashion under jockey, Jaime Torres.

Breaking well, he led at the first turn from outsider Just Step On It and third favourite Unmatched Wisdom, as the expected leader and favourite Dragoon Guard raced mid-field, with the other fancied runner Stronghold on his outer.

Seize The Grey was allowed dictate a steady pace to 49.25 for the half mile.

By the turn-in, Stronghold had moved to challenge, but was being pushed along, as was Dragoon Guard in third, who got a lovely run though on the rail.

Plenty left

Stronghold got on terms with Seize The Grey early in the straight, but the grey had plenty left and saw off the challenger comprehensively, winning by three and three-quarter lengths at the line. Stronghold weakened, but held off Dragoon Guard by a head for second. The winner’s time was 1.51.89 for the nine furlongs.

There will be no rush for stallion advertising, despite two classy performances in the two Parx Grade 1s, as both Arrogate and Fast Anna (sire of Thorpedo Anna) are deceased.

Which Breeders’ Cup event for Seize The Grey lines up for is not certain, with both the $7 million Classic and $1 million Dirt Mile in the mix.

“We’ll look it over, see who’s going where and what our chances are. I think we have the option of being in either one and being effective,” Lukas said. “The mile-and-a-quarter doesn’t bother this horse.”

MyRacehorse founder and CEO Michael Behrens quoted on Blood Horse said: “Everything with our journey with Lukas has been, ‘Let’s see how he comes out of the race.’ He surprised us with the Preakness, so we reassessed. I saw how well he ran and my first thought was Lukas is going to want some time to think on this one. He’s extremely thoughtful about each race.”

“We’re at a point right now where we really want to go out on top and have a big moment. To end this year with a big performance and a win in the Breeders’ Cup would be the cherry on top.”

Should he go for the Classic, a win for one of US racing’s most respected trainers, the legendary 89-year-old D. Wayne Lukas, combined with one of racing’s newest ownership groups in MyRacehorse’s 2,570 micro-share owners, might even trump a City Of Troy success.

Next best

One of the most popular horses in the US is the six-year-old grey gelding, Next.

He has never run in a Grade 1 since he finished last as a juvenile to Essential Quality in the 2020 TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, but has won his last seven races, mostly by wide margins.

He won his second Grade 2 Greenwood Cup in a stroll by 10 lengths for Luan Machado and trainer William Cowans.

Trainer Doug Cowans claimed him for $62,500 from an allowance optional claiming race at Keeneland in April 2022 and the son of Not This Time has raced mostly over a mile and a half and a mile six furlongs.

The Breeders’ Cup Turf and Breeders’ Cup Classic under consideration, but the trainer said: “There are a lot of things that can go wrong in that kind of race. I am not saying we are against it, but we will sit down and have a big conversation. The thing about the horse is we always want to have fun with him. The money doesn’t matter.”

Thorpedo toughs it out for fourth Grade 1

Cotillion Stakes (Grade 1)

EVENTS surrounding City Of Troy may have gained a lot of publicity last week on the countdown to the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar next month. But the on-track action at Parx racecourse could have a big bearing on the end of season events.

The three-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna added her fourth Grade 1 of the season, to add to her narrow Travers defeat by Fierceness, and should City Of Troy beat the best of the US in the Classic, a win in the Distaff could give Kenny McPeek’s star filly a decent shot at being Horse of the Year.

It wasn’t her most impressive win, but coming off the toughest race of her life in the Travers defeat, she again showed a most willing attitude, to come between horses on the bend, tackle and head Gun Song and hold the persistent rally of the second, without jockey Brian Hernandez touching her with the whip. The win gave her seven wins from her nine-race career and over $2 million in prize money.

Dropping back to a mile and half a furlong trip after the 10-furlong distance in the Travers, Brian Hernandez kept Thorpedo Anna just behind pacesetting Mystic Lake and Gun Song through the opening stages. Following decent splits of 48.01, and 1m 12.55 for the mile, Thorpedo Anna was boxed in on the rail behind the leader as the field turned for home.

Didn’t panic

Hernandez didn’t panic and waited until the leaders drifted apart before sending his filly between the leaders and she headed Gun Song and held her by a neck with three and a half lengths back to the third, Godolphin’s Tarifa.

“He put us in a box [John Velazquez on Gun Song], and we were just stuck there behind him for a long, long time,” Hernandez reported. “Then, we finally got a little seam turning for home. She lengthened her stride, and she was able to just put her neck in front. She just showed how game she was.”

“A win is a win. I am going to take it. Good ones overcome everything. She is head over heels above the three-year-old fillies and, as long as we didn’t have anything real silly happen - I felt really confident,” said McPeek, who reported the filly to have come out of the race in good form.

Nicknamed the ‘Grizzly Bear’ by her trainer after the Kentucky Oaks, where she didn’t go off favourite but won by over four lengths, the filly has become tremendously popular among US race fans. Would her Grade 1 haul of the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks and Cotillion outdo Fierceness’ Florida Derby, Travers and Grade 2 Jim Dandy, Dornoch’s two Grade 1s in the Belmont and Haskell or Sieze The Day’s two in the Preakness and Penn Derby? The Breeders’ Cup finale is shaping up nicely.