It’s a horse racing fan’s dream race day on Saturday at Parx Racing in Bensalem, with the $1 million Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and the $1 million Grade 1 Cotillion headlining a superb afternoon. The 15 race card also includes the $200,000 Grade 3 Greenwood Cup, the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile, and the $400,000 Grade 2 Gallant Bob Stakes for the 3-year-old sprinters.
Year after year, the Gallant Bob boasts a solid field of talented 3-year-olds in the 6f race on the dirt. Past winners include Scaramouche (2022); Jackie’s Warrior (2021); and Bentornato in 2024.
This year, the field looks just as impressive, drawing 10 to the gate for the 12th race on the card, and a purse increase from $300,000 to $400,000.
Danielle Gibson, Public Relations Director and co-host of ‘Let’s Go Racing’ with Dick Gerardi took a close look at the field for the race, and analyzed what was sure to be an exciting sprint on the Parx surface. “Retribution(Vekoma-Granny’s Drink, by Old Fashioned) draws post 1 for the really promising trainer Cherie DeVaux, and she’s really hit the headlines with all her top horses. This horse is coming back, and won the prep race for this, the PTHA President’s Sprint Stakes. And he has Kendrick Carmouche.”
Pennsylvania bred Wax Box (Enticed-Cherokee Sky by Sky Mesa), is post position 3 for trainer J.Guadalupe Guerrero. “He’s promising horse,” Dani said. “A local horse with a lot of talent, and he seems to prefer sprinting.” With 2 wins and a 2nd in 5 starts, his ML odds are 20/1.
“Barnes (into Mischief-All American Dream by American Pharoah) is going to be super tough for trainer Bob Baffert,” she emphasized. “He probably will be the easy winner. Tyler Gaffalione rides.”
Parx favorite Frankie Pennington, in the top 10 of the leading jockeys at the track, rides Alchemism, (Kobe’s Back-Enchanted Evening by First Defence), another PA bred in this race. The gelding leaves from post 4 for trainer David Dotolo, and has two seconds and a third in 9 starts this season.
Rounding out the field are a few others that had Dani taking a closer look. “Brian Lynch’s horse, Donut God (Into Mischief-Sweet Kisses by Carpe Diem) looks interesting! He was 2nd in his last race to Neoequos, (Neolithic-Bold Birdie by Birdstone), who is also in this race.”
“Another local horse that looks cool is Fire Pit (Cairo Prince-True Martha by Creative Cause) for trainer Guadalupe Preciado and jockey Luis Saez. That horse ran a really good 2nd to Retribution in the prep race.”
Dani predicts a terrific and memorable day of racing, and the weather looks picture-perfect. “The track will be fast!” she exclaimed. “It’s always fast on PA Derby Day.”
“We’ve seen upset local winners before,” she added. Scaramouche (Munnings-
