2023 Pennsylvania Derby Preview

Traditionally, 3-year-olds used to start facing older horses around this time of year in races like the Pacific Classic. However, as the profile of the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx rose, it changed the game.

The race’s history goes back to 1979, when the track was still called Keystone Race Track, and achieved graded status in 1981. Through its time at the track called Keystone, Philadelphia Park, and then eventually Parx Racing, it had well-known winners like Broad Brush, Summer Squall, and Sun King.

The race’s profile soared in the 2010s when horses like Will Take Charge and Bayern won it and then ran well in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It became the premier target for late-season 3-year-olds to stay within their age group for their final prep race for the Breeders’ Cup, and also gives later-blooming sophomores a chance to face top sophomores before planning the end-of-year-campaign. The race is paired with the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes on the same day, which often serves as a sophomores’ prep for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Eleven horses entered the 2023 edition of the Pennsylvania Derby. They include familiar faces from the Triple Crown races as well as newly ascendant horses. The morning-line favorite is Reincarnate, the last-out winner of the Los Alamitos Derby, though he will not face an easy test while drawn outside of ten other quality horses.

Pennsylvania Derby Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 23
• Track: Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA
• Post Time: 6:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 ⅛ miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: TVG.com, FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

2023 Pennsylvania Derby Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2023 Pennsylvania Derby, along with post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines for each horse.

Pennsylvania Derby Prep Race Results

The eleven horses in this field come out of nine different races, all on the dirt. Scotland is the only one who last raced in top-level company; she was sixth in the Travers (G1) last out after winning the Curlin. Il Miracolo comes out of a win in the Smarty Jones (G3), the local prep, while Daydreaming Boy was third in that race. Two others come out of graded company as well: Saudi Crown was second in the Jim Dandy (G2), while West Coast Cowboy was second in the West Virginia Derby (G3). Reincarnate, the morning-line favorite, comes out of a win in the ungraded Los Alamitos Derby.

Five others come out of non-stakes company. Magic Tap won a first-level allowance at Saratoga last out, a race in which Dreamlike finished fifth as the favorite. Both Gilmore and Crupi also come out of victories in first-level allowances at the Spa, though both of those races were originally carded for turf but washed to the dirt. Modern Era, the lone maiden in the field, was most recently third in a maiden special weight on the Monmouth dirt.

Pennsylvania Derby Contenders

These are the nine contenders in the 2023 Pennsylvania Derby, organized by their post positions in the race:

1. Modern Era: He will be the longest shot on the board for a good reason. The only maiden in the field, he has never looked a winner in any of his six starts, including a try in the claiming ranks at Parx. Though Uriah St. Lewis can sometimes pull a rabbit out of his hat in big races, Modern Era does not look like the second coming of Discreet Lover.
2. Dreamlike: He was well enough regarded by trainer Todd Pletcher to race in the Wood (G2) while still a maiden, and he missed by only a neck to long shot Lord Miles. He graduated at nine furlongs on the Saratoga dirt in his next start, though he regressed next out in an allowance after stumbling at the start. If he comes away better, he should be able to get a good tactical trip, and the nine-furlong trip of the Pennsylvania Derby suits him well.
3. Saudi Crown: He has never run a bad race in four starts, though he needs to prove that he can come from off the pace against good horses. After all, there is a lot of speed entered in the Pennsylvania Derby, and he is drawn at the inside of it. He may be able to track the pace; interestingly enough, he broke his maiden in stalk-and-pounce fashion over a sprint trip. However, the relatively inside draw is a strike against him, since he may have to work harder.
4. Magic Tap: The late-blooming sophomore in the Steve Asmussen barn, he makes his stakes debut in the Pennsylvania Derby. The distance suits him perfectly, and he does not have to make the top, but he has yet to prove that he at least does not need to be close, given that all three of his better races have come from either on or very close to the lead. Trying a spot like this makes sense off his last, but pace could be a challenge.
5. Scotland: He was the interesting new face in the Travers after winning the Curlin in romping fashion, though he faded after setting the early pace in the Travers. He did win the Curlin on the front end, but both his maiden and first-level allowance wins came from off the pace, suggesting he can pass horses. If he can translate that off-pace style to a two-turn race instead of just a one-turn race, he intrigues at what should be square odds.
6. Daydreaming Boy: One of the more experienced runners, he has 11 starts already, including nine at Parx Racing. His best form has come from on or near the lead, but he also has yet to prove that he can step up to stakes company and run a winning race. He did nab a graded-stakes placing when running on late in the Smarty Jones, and with all the speed entered in the Pennsylvania Derby, perhaps he runs on late for another minor award at a big price. But, that looks like the ceiling.
7. West Coast Cowboy: He has yet to win in stakes company, but he has hit the board in a couple of two-turn graded races, the Holy Bull (G3) back in February as well as the West Virginia Derby (G3) last time out. He has the tactical speed to work out a trip, but it is a concern that both of his wins came over the one-turn mile. That suggests the mile and an eighth may be just beyond what he wants.
8. Gilmore: He battled to win a first-level allowance by a neck last time, a one-mile race that was originally carded for the lawn. Unlike so many in this field, he should be at least a few lengths off the lead, giving him a solid chance at a trip. Distance is the question, but he ran a decent second in the El Camino Real Derby at a mile and an eighth in February. Perhaps he will be better able to handle that distance this time around now that he has had a few more months to grow up.
9. Crupi: Like Dreamlike, he is another Todd Pletcher trainee who had stakes experience as a maiden. Though he ran off the board in both the Risen Star (G2) and the Wood, he came back to graduate at Monmouth in July and then clear his first-level condition in August. He won both of those races against older horses, though, making this his first try against sophomores since the Wood. It is a concern that he does not have a rider assigned yet, suggesting his connections may be unsure about whether to run here (or about whether to run him or Dreamlike here, as their ownership is the same). But, if he does go here, he has the stamina and the ability to pass horses, making him interesting at a price.
10. Il Miracolo: He finished a surprising second to Scotland in the Curlin as a 15-1 long shot, but instead of pressing on to the Travers trainer Antonio Sano returned him in the more modest Smarty Jones. He won by three lengths, showing he can handle the love-it-or-hate-it Parx footing. However, he bore out twice in the lane last out, showing immaturity or perhaps even tiredness, given that both of his previous wins had come at one turn. It is also a concern that no rider is yet assigned, especially since he won the local prep.
11. Reincarnate: Trainer Bob Baffert has been the king of the Pennsylvania Derby lately, and this is Baffert’s entrant. He comes off of a career-best effort in the Los Alamitos Derby last out, though that came in a field of just five, and he got his own way on the lead that day. The outside post is a recipe for ground loss, making the short price less than exciting, though Baffert is hard to dismiss entirely in this spot, and he could work out a good outside pressing trip.

Pennsylvania Derby FAQ

Q: When and where is the Pennsylvania Derby?

A: The race happens on Saturday, September 23, at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA. The race is the 13th of 14 on the card, and the scheduled post time is 6:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Pennsylvania Derby?

A: Trainer Bob Baffert leads all conditioners with four wins. Those came with Bayern (2014), West Coast (2017), McKinzie (2018), and Taiba (2022). He will go for a fifth with Reincarnate this year.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Pennsylvania Derby?

A: Bob Baffert trainee Reincarnate is the 3-1 morning-line favorite. Given Baffert’s history of success in the race, it will not be a surprise if he goes off the betting favorite despite the far-outside post. Watch for betting action on 7-2 morning-line second choice Saudi Crown, however. His trainer, Brad Cox, is often well bet, and he has yet to run a poor effort in four starts.

Q: Who is the best Pennsylvania Derby jockey?

A: Joe Bravo and Mike Smith are tied for the most wins with three. Bravo’s success dates back to the track’s days as Philadelphia Park, as his came in 1994, 2003, and 2008. Smith’s success is more recent, as all three of his wins have come between 2017 and 2022. Among riders who are entered in the 2023 edition of the race, Irad Ortiz leads with two wins. He took the 2012 edition with Handsome Mike and the 2019 running with Math Wizard. In 2023, he rides Dreamlike.

Q: Who won the Pennsylvania Derby in 2022?

A: Taiba won last year for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith. Smith does not have a call this year, but Baffert will attempt to win again with Reincarnate.