PARX racetrack hosts the big meeting of the weekend in the US and has two Grade 1s on the card. Rain is forecast so conditions could be sloppy underfoot.

The $1million Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby (11:10pm) over nine furlongs could be defined by the early pace.

It’s a race that often goes to the favourite as since the Penn Derby achieved Grade 1 status in 2017, four out of five runnings have been won by the market favourite but this is a competitive field with no standout.

Eleven horses line up with the morning line favourite Reincarnate in the widest stall. The Bob Baffert-trained son of Good Magic was well down the field in the Kentucky Derby but after a 64-day break returned to win the three-horse Listed Los Alamitos Derby. He does however seem to need to lead.

Brad Cox’s Saudi Crown brings the strongest form, his nose second to Forte in a high-quality Grade 2 Jim Dandy over sloppy conditions at Saratoga.

Previously he had finished second in the mile Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park, setting fast fractions before battling gamely to finish second by a nose. He has proven capable of setting a decent pace and keeping to it and from stall three, should beat Reincarnate, on the outside, to the early lead. A repeat of his Jim Dandy run should be good enough.

Grade 3 winners, the Curlin Stakes winner Scotland (Bill Mott) and Smarty Jones Stakes winner Il Miracolo (Antonio Sano) are logical contenders for the minor awards.

Steve Asmussen’s Tapit colt Magic Tap in the Winchell Thoroughbreds colours, is thrown in the deep end with just a maiden and allowance race win but should not be discounted under Tyler Gafflione.

SELECTION: SAUDI CROWN

Next Best: Magic Tap

The Cotillion Stakes for three-year-old filles over a mile and half a furlong has a field of nine, headed by Brendan Walsh’s Pretty Mischevious.

The Godolphin filly is on a roll of three Grade 1 wins but only won the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga after the unfortunate accident to Maple Leaf Mel. She had previously won the Grade 1 Acorn Stakes and the Longines Kentucky Oaks.

The Test was over seven furlongs and this step back up to a mile and half a furlong should suit the daughter of Into Mischief better.

The field’s other Grade 1 winner is Kenny McPeek’s Defining Purpose, who delivered a surprise win in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes in April at Keeneland. She earned another Grade 1-placing on her most recent start when third in the Alabama Stakes at Saratoga.

The daughter of Cross Traffic comes back the distance that she won the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks in July.

Occult, trained by Chad Brown could be the improver. She finished third to Pretty Mischievous in the Acorn but comes off an impressive effort as she drew off to a 10 and a quarter-length score in the Grade 2 Monmouth Oaks on July 29th.

Hoosier Philly, another Into Mischief filly, will look to bounce back from an off-the-board finish in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks, but she boasts two stakes race wins including last year’s Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill.

Earlier on the card, Steve Asmussen’s Saratoga Grade 1 winner Gunite is the standout in the Parx Dirt Mile Stakes.