Parx Racing | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. Voted Jockey Of The Week After Graded Stakes Double

Jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. won two graded stakes at Parx and a stakes race at Remington Park to earn Jockey of the Week for Sept. 20 through Sept. 26. The award, which is voted on by a panel of racing experts, is for jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys.

Santana travelled to Parx on Saturday for Pennsylvania Derby Day. It's been quite a while since Santana had ridden a 108-1 shot in a graded stakes and while the win on Hollywood Talent in the Grade 3 Turf Monster shocked the betting public, it wasn't a surprise to Santana. Before riding on a regular basis for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Santana rode on a regular basis at Delaware Park for trainer Juan Vazquez.

“I was riding everything for him,” said Santana. “Everything I ride for him I have a shot.”

The 10-year-old Hollywood Talent and Santana were seventh early in the field of nine. They were three wide down the backstretch and moved into third around the turn passing Admiral Abe in deep stretch to a 1-1/4 length win in 59.51.

“He was traveling beautiful and I was really happy with him, when we turned for home and when I asked him the horse really responded well,” said Santana.

Trainer Steve Asmussen gave a leg up to Santana on the race favorite Clairiere in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx for three-year-old fillies at one mile and one-sixteenth on the main track. Santana settled Clairiere in sixth in the field of eight. He asked her on the turn and the duo swung out into the stretch. With five lined up across the track, Clairiere circled the field and cruised to a 2-1/2-length score in 1:44.31.

“I broke her maiden last year at Churchill Downs and she's such a sweetheart and I was really comfortable with her and she kicked on really well,” said Santana. “I had too much horse and I was just waiting turning for home.”

Santana then travelled to Remington Park for Oklahoma Derby Day on Sunday. Riding for Steve Asmussen, Santana won the Kip Deville Stakes for two-year-olds at six furlongs on the dirt aboard Concept. Going straight to the lead out of the gate, Santana and Concept were never headed fending off a late run by Tejano Twist for a 1-1/2-length win in 1:10.12.

Santana's weekly statistics were 17-3-5-3 for $1,184,535 in total purses to lead all jockeys.

The other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Abel Cedillo with a stakes win at Los Alamitos, Irad Ortiz, Jr. with two graded stakes, Joel Rosario with two graded stakes and Edgard Zayas with a stakes win at Gulfstream Park.

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You Must Chill Victorious In Alphabet Soup At Parx, Caps Three-Win Day For Connections

Morris Kernan Jr., Yo Berb's Racing, and Jagger Inc.'s You Must Chill closed the Pennsylvania Derby day by giving his connections their third win on the undercard in the $200,000 Alphabet Soup Stakes for state-breds at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pa.

You Must Chill stayed within two lengths of the pacesetter Saratoga Jack before jockey Frankie Pennington angled the 5-year-old gelding to the outside at the top of the stretch, then made a strong run past Wait for It for the 1 ½-length victory while finishing the 1 1/16 mile race in 1:47.37 over a good turf course.

“He broke good and he put me in a forward position,” Pennington said. “He was dragging me the whole way. At the top of the stretch, it was a waiting game. Once I got out, he exploded.”

This was the first stakes victory for You Must Chill, who has won 4-for-5 races – both on dirt and turf at various distances – since Jamie Ness started training him.

“We always thought he was a grass horse,” Ness said. “Obviously, he had a couple of good races on the dirt. Finally, we finally got him on the grass. We had to go to Penn [National] to do it. He really ran on a bad turf course, but we knew he could handle the turf course.”

Along with You Must Chill, Ness, Pennington, and the partnership won a starter allowance with Sevier and the Greenwood Cup with Magic Michael as part of the Pennsylvania Derby undercard.

“All three wins were with all of my partners,” Ness said. “These are all local guys and this was their day. I am really happy for them.”

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Hot Rod Charlie Survives Inquiry To Win Pennsylvania Derby

The last time they met, Midnight Bourbon clipped Hot Rod Charlie's heels and stumbled in the stretch of the Grade 1 Haskell, shedding rider Paco Lopez and costing Hot Rod Charlie his first G1 stakes win. In the Pennsylvania Derby, Hot Rod Charlie once again tangled with Midnight Bourbon, as the Doug O'Neill trainee almost blew the far turn, getting close enough to Midnight Bourbon in the process that the result yet again went to the stewards. This time, though, Hot Rod Charlie got the decision, getting his first Grade 1 victory at Parx Racing in Bensalem, Penn.

At the break, Hot Rod Charlie with Flavien Prat took the early lead, with Midnight Bourbon and Ricardo Santana, Jr. to his outside, three-quarters of a length back. The two dueled on the front around the first turn and into the backstretch, with Speaker's Corner and Weyburn three lengths back. Hot Rod Charlie kept his advantage throughout, with Midnight Bourbon staying close to him as they rounded the far turn.

With the field still several lengths back, Hot Rod Charlie, running a couple of paths off the rail, went wide out of the far turn, Prat having to take up on him to keep him from blowing the turn altogether. That move took Midnight Bourbon still wider, but Prat was able to straighten his colt out as Midnight Bourbon kept pressuring the leader down the stretch. Hot Rod Charlie was too much for Midnight Bourbon, pulling away to a 2 1/4-length victory.

Immediately after the race, Santana, Jr. lodged a claim of foul for interference against Prat and Hot Rod Charlie. The inquiry sign went up as well, but ultimately the Parx stewards decided to keep the order of finish intact.

The final time for the 1 1/8 miles was 1:48.63. Find this race's chart here.

Hot Rod Charlie paid $3.80, $2.60, and $2.10. Midnight Bourbon paid $3.60 and $2.40. Americanrevolution paid $3.00.

Bred in Kentucky by Edward A. Cox, Jr., Hot Rod Charlie is by Oxbow out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Miss. He is owned by Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing, and Gainesway Stable. Hot Rod Charlie was consigned by Small Batch Sales and purchased by Dennis O'Neill at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale for $110,000. With his win in the G1 Pennsylvania Derby, the 3-year-old colt has two wins in six starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 11-3-2-3 and career earnings of $2,171,200.

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Hot Rod Charlie Outbattles Midnight Bourbon in PA Derby

Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), among the most talented horses in training yet to have officially reached the highest level, got his Grade I in Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby–but not without some more drama. He had last been seen getting DQ'd from first to seventh in the GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth July 17 when he crossed over on and clipped heels with Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), causing that runner to drop Paco Lopez. And it was Midnight Bourbon who again was involved in a controversial stretch drive with Hot Rod Charlie.

Backed at 9-10 to atone for his Haskell transgressions, Hot Rod Charlie went right to the front with Midnight Bourbon locked on to his right flank through opening splits of :23.52 and :47.07. Hot Rod Charlie and Flavien Prat floated Midnight Bourbon very wide into the lane after six furlongs in 1:10.76, but they straightened up for the stretch drive and always seemed to be going better, crossing the wire 2 1/4 lengths to the good of Midnight Bourbon with Americanrevolution (Constitution) a non-threatening third.

The tote board flashed, and the tension mounted, but after some consideration the stewards made what appeared to most to be the right call and let the result stand.

“He broke well and we got ourselves to the lead,” said Prat. “He likes to be forwardly placed. When it was time to go, he kind of looked around… He kind of messed around and swapped leads. I am really happy for the whole team and the connections. I thought I was on the best horse. He was training absolutely perfect going into the race. I was under control for the whole race.”

Steve Asmussen, trainer of the runner-up, was less pleased with the result: “Flavien Prat almost drops Midnight Bourbon for the second time. My horse ran well. He survived.”

A fourth-out graduate going a mile at Santa Anita last October, Hot Rod Charlie was immediately thrown into the deep end after that, but he handled it just fine, running eventual champion Essential Quality (Tapit) to 3/4 of a length at 94-1 in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He defeated Midnight Bourbon by two lengths in the GII Louisiana Derby Mar. 20, and was a close third across the line in the GI Kenucky Derby May 1. Second to Essential Quality in the GI Belmont S. June 5 while earning a strong 108 Beyer Speed Figure, Hot Rod Charlie out-gamed current Derby runner-up Mandaloun (Into Mischief) in the Haskell stretch drive.

“Charlie is a rock star. I'm just a roadie but I am a pumped roadie, that's for sure,” said trainer Doug O'Neill, who was celebrating his first Pennsylvania Derby victory. “I could tell Charlie did not corner as well as he could. But it didn't seem like he affected [Midnight] Bourbon at all, thank God. He seemed like he was clear. Flavien had mentioned maybe putting a set of cheaters on him again. He said he got a little distracted being on the lead, kind of looking around and that might have caused him not to corner as well as he could have. This one did not seem as dramatic as the Monmouth race. For this to come on top of his last race, this was definitely exaggerated and had a long inquiry as well. Thank God he was clear and didn't cause any interference. I was pretty confident they were not going to take him down.”

O'Neill continued, “When you have speed and stamina and class, you can do some crazy, cool things. He displayed today that he has got some special qualities that, if he stays injury free, could lead to big stuff in November. I think he can be a big force in the Breeders' Cup. Obviously there are some big time horses out there that have more experience than him, but he is coming around at a good time.”

Saturday, Parx Racing
PENNSYLVANIA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Parx Racing, 9-25, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.63, ft.
1–HOT ROD CHARLIE, 124, c, 3, by Oxbow
1st Dam: Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie
2nd Dam: Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken
3rd Dam: Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($17,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $110,000 Ylg
'19 FTKOCT). O-Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable (Antony
Beck), Roadrunner Racing & William Strauss; B-Edward A.
Cox (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill; J-Flavien Prat. $573,000.
Lifetime Record: 11-3-2-3, $2,171,200. *1/2 to Mitole
(Eskendereya), Ch. Male Sprinter, MGISW, $3,104,910.
Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 124, c, 3, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $191,000.
3–Americanrevolution, 122, c, 3, Constitution–Polly Freeze,
by Super Saver. ($275,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-CHC Inc. &
WinStar Farm LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding
(NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $95,500.
Margins: 2 1/4, 4HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.90, 3.70, 8.40.
Also Ran: Fulsome, Bourbonic, Speaker's Corner, I Am Redeemed, Weyburn. Scratched: Keepmeinmind, Medina Spirit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

One of seven black-type winners–and the first at Grade I level–for his sire Oxbow, Hot Rod Charlie is the third Grade I winner produced by a daughter of Indian Charlie after his half-brother, 2019 Eclipse Champion Sprinter Mitole (Eskendereya), and GI Frizette S. winner Dayoutoftheoffice (Into Mischief).

The fifth foal, runner and winner out of the placed Indian Miss, Hot Rod Charlie is her second at the highest level after Mitole, who won the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint among four Grade I victories. She sold for $1.9 million to Larry Best's OXO Equine carrying to Into Mischief at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. Indian Miss threw a filly by Into Mischief in 2019-also an OXO Equine purchase at $525,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale–and a colt by that sire this term. A half-sister to GII Davona Dale S. heroine Live Lively (Medaglia d'Oro), she visited the court of Instagrand earlier this year.

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