Pennsylvania Derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Reincarnate Favored In PA Derby, Draws Post 11

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will look for a record fifth victory when he sends out 3-1 morning-line favorite Reincarnate (Good Magic) in Saturday's GI betPARX Pennsylvania Derby.

“This race is going to be a good step up for him,” Baffert said. “He ran really well at Los Alamitos. He is going to have to break well and show up. That's the main thing. If he shows up, I don't see why he wouldn't run well.”

The field of 11 also includes 7-2 second choice Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) for Brad Cox and FMQ Stables while Steve Asmussen will saddle 5-1 third choice Magic Tap (Tapit) for Winchell Thoroughbreds.

Rounding out the field is Scotland (Good Magic), Il Miracolo (Gun Runner), Gilmore (Twirling Candy), Dreamlike (Gun Runner), Daydreaming Boy (Goldencents), West Coast Cowboy (West Coast), Crupi (Curlin) and Modern Era (Honor Code).

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Arcangelo in Fine Shape After Travers Victory

Arcangelo (Arrogate) was in fine shape Sunday following his victory in the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Saturday, but connections will take their time before picking out a next start for the sophomore.

“He came back well and is full of himself today,” said trainer Jena Antonucci. “Of course the Breeders' Cup is on the radar, but horses don't care about schedules or spreadsheets. We'll do what we've been doing and give him his space. We'll let him pave the way.”

Arcangelo added the Travers to his win in the GI Belmont S. in June.

“I'm just so glad the race has helped to validate he's not a fluke or a one-hit wonder,” said Antonucci. “It allows him to be validated, and I'm grateful for that. Horse and team, I'm most proud of that.”

Travers runner-up Disarm (Gun Runner), who closed for second while making his first start with blinkers, could make his next start in the Sept. 23 GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

“He just seems to get incrementally better,” said Winchell Thoroughbreds racing manager David Fiske said. “[The blinkers] didn't hurt. It's hard to say how much of a difference they made because he did run some pretty credible races without the blinkers. I suspect he'll run back with them because like I said, they didn't hurt him at all.”

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher reported Sunday Tapit Trice (Tapit) and Forte (Violence) emerged well from their respective third- and fourth-place finishes in the Travers.

“They're doing good,” Pletcher said. “Both of them looked well this morning.”

Asked for future plans for the pair, Pletcher said, “We'll give it a few days to see how they are and come up with a game plan.”

Pletcher said he is pleased with how Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House's Nest (Curlin) came out of her third-place finish as the favorite in Friday's GI Personal Ensign S., just her second start this year following her 2022 champion 3-year-old filly campaign.

“She's doing good,” Pletcher said. “She bounced out of the race well. It was hard to make up ground on a sloppy, gooey track when a quality horse gets loose on the lead. I thought she ran hard. It was only her second race of the year so, hopefully, it moves her forward.”

Pletcher said Nest will be pointed to either the GII Beldame S. during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet or the GI Juddmonte Spinster S. at Keeneland. Both 1 1/8-mile races are Oct. 8.

Repole Stable's Fierceness (City of Light), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following his impressive debut victory at Saratoga Friday, will likely tackle Grade I company for his second start, according to Pletcher.

“I think the [Oct. 7 GI] Champagne is the most logical next start,” Pletcher said.

Of the colt's maiden score, Pletcher said, “He was very impressive. He had been training really well leading up to it. We were expecting a good effort, but he actually delivered an even better one than we were hoping for.”

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Mandella Rules Out Travers; Mulling Options with Geaux Rocket Ride

Pin Oak Stud's Geaux Rocket Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) exited his victory in the GI TVG.com Haskell S. in good order, trainer Richard Mandella reported Sunday. The victory earned the lightly raced colt an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and Mandella said he has several routes to consider to get to that Nov. 4 race at Santa Anita.

The Sept. 23 GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx, the Sept. 2 GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar and the Sept. 30 GI Awesome Again S. at Santa Anita are all on the table. While Geaux Rocket Ride would be facing just 3-year-olds at Parx, he would face older horses in both California options.

“I'll think about all of those races and about running against older horses,” Mandella said.

Mandella has ruled out another trip east for the Aug. 26 GI Travers S. at Saratoga.

“I think it's too much to think about, taking him to Saratoga,” Mandella said. “He's young and he's not raced very much and we've pushed him along to get to this point. I don't like the idea of bringing him to Monmouth, bringing him back to California, and then coming back for the Travers. We pushed him to this point and we don't want to keep pushing. The Travers doesn't seem like the right thing to do.”

A debut winner at Santa Anita in January, Geaux Rocket Ride was second in the Mar. 4 GII San Felipe S., but was knocked off the Triple Crown trail when a fever caused him to miss the GI Santa Anita Derby. He returned with a win in the June 4 Affirmed S. and was earning his first graded score in the Haskell.

Asked if having the Breeders' Cup at his home track of Santa Anita would give Geaux Rocket Ride an advantage in November, Mandella said, “It does if you're fast enough. We think he's fast enough and so far he's passed every test. But that's another step up to get to the Classic and it's against older horses so we'll just have to wait and see if he leads us there.”

Geaux Rocket Ride and the Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), the third-place Haskell finisher, were scheduled to ship back to Southern California Tuesday.

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Will Take Charge To Darley Japan

Champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song–Take Charge Lady, by Dehere), whose 13 black-type winners includes this year's GI Hollywood Gold Cup hero There Goes Harvard, will join the stallion roster at Darley Japan in 2023, according to a post on the nursery's website. Will Take Charge has stood his first eight seasons at stud at Three Chimneys Farm.

Campaigned by the late Willis Horton during his first two seasons at the races and trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Will Take Charge won the 2013 GI Travers S. and GII Pennsylvania Derby before dropping a heartbreaking decision in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic. A defeat of his elders in the GI Clark H. secured him the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old male. With Three Chimneys joining in as part-owner for his 4-year-old season, the blaze-faced chestnut won the GII Oaklawn H. at Horton's home track and was placed in the GI Stephen Foster H. and GI Whitney S. prior to his retirement to stud.

Overall, Will Take Charge is the sire of 224 winners from five crops to race and a dozen stakes winners in addition to There Goes Harvard, including this year's GII Phoenix S. upsetter Manny Wah and Grade III winners Will's Secret and Abaan. His four Japanese winners from five to race includes France Go de Ina, who participated in the 2021 GI Preakness S. and GI Belmont S.

Will Take Charge is out of the gifted MGISW Take Charge Lady, making him a half-brother to WinStar stallion Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy); GISW As Time Goes By (American Pharoah); and to Charming (Seeking the Gold), the dam of promising young Spendthrift sire Omaha Beach (War Front) and Horton's Eclipse Award winner Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway). This is also the family of GISP 'TDN Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit) and of Japanese MSW Strong Souther (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}), a son of Take Charge Lady's MSW/GSP half-sister Eventail (Lear Fan).

“We are delighted to be able to introduce this horse at a time when he has produced a Grade I winner in the U.S. and has further enhanced his reputation in Japan,” said Darley Japan CEO Harry Sweeney. “We are confident he will be a success in Japan.”

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