Pennsylvania Derby Preview
It’s almost time for the Pennsylvania Derby!
The Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx will take place this Saturday at. The Pennsylvania Derby is a $1 million Grade 1 for 3 year olds going the distance of 1⅛ miles (9 furlongs) on dirt.
Overview
The Pennsylvania Derby is a major fall race for some of the top 3-year‑olds in the US.
The race is a bit more open with the top two 3 year old horses, Sovereignty and Journalism, not entered in this spot as they prepare for the Breeders' Cup. This gives other runners like Baeza and Gosger, who have been racing hard against those two monsters, a chance to pick up a Grade 1 victory.
Overall, it’s a pretty evenly matched field as several major contenders have placed in Grade 1 races, but have not yet secured a victory at the Grade 1 level.
The Field
Here is the entire field for the Pennsylvania Derby, the leading contenders, what they bring, and potential vulnerabilities:
Prediction
I’m not picking anything crazy in here. I will be going with Baeza to win the Pennsylvania Derby. I believe he has the class to take this one. He’s been running behind two of the best three year olds of 2025 in US, Sovereignty and Journalism. He does not have to face them here and I believe he gets the perfect set up in this race. Gosger and Goal Oriented are not to be taken lightly, although I see them battling with each other down the stretch. As they wear each other down, I see Baeza sitting right there on the outside of them and running both down in the stretch. It will be a close finish! If Big Truzz could get the distance, he’s a larger price that could maybe hit the board as he comes running late. I could also see David of Athens running big to possibly get a piece.
Taking 2-1 on a horse who only has one victory in seven starts is tough, but I think he’s just the best horse in the race. He’s the one to beat and I believe he grabs his first Grade 1 victory here in the Pennsylvania Derby.
This will be a great race and a great card in general, packed with 15 total races! The card begins at 11:05am ET and goes til 6:30pm ET. The Pennsylvania Derby will begin at 6pm ET.
-Chris