2024 Pennsylvania Derby Preview

For many years, this was the time of year when leading three-year-olds began to face older horses in final preps for the Breeders’ Cup, in races like the Pacific Classic (G1) or Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1). However, the 1 ⅛-mile, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) is now a late-summer option to run against their own age group for a huge purse and Grade 1 credentials, and connections have responded enthusiastically.

The Pennsylvania Derby dates back to 1979 at Keystone Race Track. It has been a graded-stakes race since 1981, and held that status as the racecourse changed its name to Philadelphia Park and then Parx Racing.

Horses like Broad Brush, Summer Squall, and Sun King won it in its earlier days. Into the 2010s, however, is when the Pennsylvania Derby really rose as one of the most important graded stakes races for sophomores. Will Take Change won it before missing by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, while Bayern won the Breeders’ Cup off a win in this race.

Eleven horses entered the 2024 Pennsylvania Derby. The leading contenders include West Virginia Derby (G3) winner Dragoon Guard, Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Stronghold, and Preakness Stakes winner Seize the Grey.

Pennsylvania Derby Information

• Race Date: Saturday, September 21
• 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: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Pennsylvania Derby Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Pennsylvania Derby, along with post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines for each horse.

Pennsylvania Derby Prep Race Results

Among the 11 runners in the Pennsylvania Derby, only four come out of graded-stakes races. The only last-out graded winner was Dragoon Guard, who wired the West Virginia Derby last out. Stronghold was most recently second in the Indiana Derby (G3), in which he had to chase home Dragoon Guard, who won that one gate-to-wire as well.

Two others will try to rebound from off-the-board finishes in graded races at Saratoga. Seize the Grey has freshened up since a fourth-place finish behind Fierceness in the Jim Dandy (G2). Unmatched Wisdom was last seen finishing seventh in the Travers (G1), also chasing Fierceness home.

Four others come out of ungraded stakes races. Two last raced in the Smarty Jones at Parx on August 24, the local prep: though winner Gould’s Gold does not press on to this spot, second-place Just Step On It and third-place Uncle Heavy do. Lonesome Boy hopes to improve off a fifth-place finish in the Salvatore M. DeBunda Sprint, a local dash on August 24, while Doc Sullivan comes out of a second-place finish against New York-breds in the Albany at Saratoga on August 25.

The other three come out of non-stakes engagements. Timeout missed by half a length in a 1 ⅛-mile first-level allowance at Saratoga on August 17. Protective broke his maiden at Saratoga on August 21, going 1 ¼ miles. However, both Timeout and Protective do have stakes experience. Who’s the King, most recently a well-beaten seventh in a starter allowance dirt mile at Saratoga, is the only one making his stakes debut in the Pennsylvania Derby.

Pennsylvania Derby Contenders

These are the eleven contenders in the 2024 Pennsylvania Derby, organized by their post positions:

1. Doc Sullivan: He is a fixture in the New York-bred ranks, and finished a credible second in a 1 ⅛-mile race at Saratoga. And, he did win his only open-company try, a one-mile allowance at Aqueduct back in May. However, he is drawn inside a lot of other speed, and does not shape anywhere near one of the fastest runners in the race early. The fact that he can pass horses does give him an out, but a piece underneath looks like the ceiling.
2. Seize the Grey: He got a freshening after a pair of off-the-board finishes in the Belmont and Jim Dandy. Seize the Grey has won off a break before, meaning the layoff is a positive. The big question here is the post: he can stay the distance and be forwardly placed, but buried in the second gate of 11 with a lot of speed to his outside means he could be an underlay. After all, there is the risk of early trouble and the possibility of getting snarled up early.
3. Lonesome Boy: The weather forecast does not favor him. All three of his wins have come on an off track, and that appears to be where his comparative advantage lies. The forecast is dry leading into the Pennsylvania Derby, leading him to look outclassed.
4. Timeout: Watch the track before deciding what to do with him. If there is a more-than-usual speed bias, be skeptical. However, with quite a bit of speed entered, if horses from a few lengths off the pace are getting a fair shake, he may be able to make a good account of himself. He is improving and finding a place for himself at 1 ⅛ miles, and is lightly-enough raced that he could find the modest step forward that he would need to be a win contender at a price.
5. Protective: Hopes have always been high for this one, given that he ran in three graded-stakes races, including the Belmont Stakes, while still a maiden. The good news is, he has finally broken his maiden, last out at Saratoga, and he has the stamina to get 1 ⅛ miles and beyond. However, he doesn’t have quite the speed as a lot of his foes here, and the front-end-favoring Parx may not be quite the right place for him. On his best, he is certainly fast enough and the presence of Irad Ortiz, Jr. is a positive … but he may get overbet.
6. Just Step On It: The pacesetter in the local prep, he could not hold off Gould’s Gold late. As good as speed is at Parx, however, he could be in very tough here. He is drawn just inside of Dragoon Guard, the speed of the speed, and there is a lot of other pace in this race. He’ll need a career best, and this will be a difficult place for him to find it.
7. Dragoon Guard: This is as shrewd a spot as can be for Dragoon Guard. He is relatively inexperienced, with only five starts, though his last two have been graded-stakes wins. Both of those came on the front end. He shapes as the fastest and classiest of the front-end horses in this spot, and over a speed-favoring track like Parx, he’ll take some catching. The only drawback is that there is other speed in the race, but he kept going after taking early pressure in some of his previous starts and can do so again.
8. Unmatched Wisdom: the Travers may have been too much, too soon, but returning to Grade 1 company shows that Chad Brown remains confident about the Curlin Stakes winner. He can win from the front end or a stalking spot, meaning the draw outside of Dragoon Guard may be a good one. He is also a two-time winner at 1 ⅛ miles, so this distance should work out well for him.
9. Who’s the King: To his credit, he turned in a fast second-place finish at 1 ⅛ miles at Churchill Downs back in June. However, a pair of sound defeats in starter-allowance company leading into this spot raise questions. Those were older horses he was facing, and now he steps back against three-year-olds, but the front end will be tough, and he brings serious class concerns.
10. Uncle Heavy: Parx can be love-it-or-hate-it, and with two wins and a third in four starts over the surface, Uncle Heavy clearly handles it well. He should get a faster pace to track than he had in the local prep, giving him a bit of room to move forward. However, he has yet to run a race fast enough to make him a big threat against the leading contenders of this race, making him look like an underneath chance at very best.
11. Stronghold: He has to handle a wide post in a large field, which could lead to ground loss. However, he has good tactical speed and he is a Grade 1 winner at 1 ⅛ miles already. He can also take his game to different racetracks, another plus as he ships across the country.

Pennsylvania Derby FAQ

Q: When and where is the Pennsylvania Derby?

A: The race happens on Saturday, September 21, 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 does not have a runner in 2024. Among trainers with a starter this year, Bill Mott leads with two wins. He won with Rock and Roll (1998) and To Honor and Serve (2011), and can make it three with Timeout.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Pennsylvania Derby?

A: Dragoon Guard is the 9-5 morning-line favorite after a pair of frontrunning wins in the West Virginia Derby and the Indiana Derby. The Brad Cox trainee should hold favoritism, between those strong efforts and the fact that speed plays well at Parx. However, morning-line second choice Stronghold (5-2) may be close.

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. Smith can take the record for his own if Who’s the King upsets the race.

Q: Who won the Pennsylvania Derby in 2023?

A: Saudi Crown won the 2023 Pennsylvania Derby for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Cox and Geroux can make it a repeat if morning-line favorite Dragoon Guard obliges.

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