A quartet of horses coming out of a hard fought Travers Stakes will meet again at Parx Racing next Saturday when they are expected to go to the gate for the Grade II $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby for three year olds going 1 1/8 miles on the dirt. Both the first and second place finishers of the Grade I Travers – Will Take Charge and Moreno – are expected to be entered, as well as Romansh, fifth in the Travers, and Transparent, who was ninth.
WTC just gets up to take Travers photo from Moreno
Three weeks ago in the Travers at Saratoga, Will Take Charge was looking to redeem himself after a disappointing Triple Crown campaign and did just that, thrilling his backers by coming from mid-pack and powering down the stretch to get up for a nose win over Moreno at 9-1. Going off at 31-1, that race also gave a big boost to Moreno, who was racing in maiden ranks in June, before winning the Grade II Dwyer Stakes and following that with a third-place finish behind Belmont winner Palace Malice and Will Take Charge in the Grade II Jim Dandy.
Power Broker may be in after impressive Haskell
Among the others expected to get the start will be 2013 Kentucky Derby runner Java’s War, who will be looking for his first win since taking the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes way back in April, while Battier will be trying for his first graded-stakes score. Chief Havoc will make his fourth straight Grade II start and looks for second win, having taken the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park in early July. An intriguing possibility may be Power Broker, most recently second in the Grade I Haskell Invitational, and fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall.
The Grade 2 $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby features the two biggest names from the Triple Crown trail September 24 at Parx as a field of 12 gathers in one of the most intriguing betting races of the year.
The $1 million Cotillion Stakes September 24 at Parx features a true clash of the titans as the six-horse field is headlined by the undefeated, five-time grade 1 winner Songbird who figures to face the most stern challenge of her career.
In a completely wide open renewal of the Presque Isle Mile September 18 at Presque Isle Downs, 13 runners including the also-eligible will contest the eight furlong trip over synthetic footing.
Champion Songbird is set to make her much-anticipated return to the races in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Grade 2 event will be run at a mile and a sixteenth and has attracted a field of seven.
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