Bret Calhoun put Our Moneyman on the van to make the 114-mile trek from Louisville, Kentucky, to Shelbyville, Indiana, feeling good about his chances in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby in July.
The Louisiana-bred son of Mr. Money went to Horseshoe Indianapolis with eight starts under his belt and three wins and four seconds. He went to post as the third choice in the field of six, at 7-2, behind the odds-on Brad Cox-trainee Leading Change.
"I thought he was a very legitimate horse going into the Indiana Derby," Calhoun said. "We were in there against Leading Change, and I knew what Brad thought of him."
Our Moneyman wound up second to Leading Change, beaten only a neck after enduring a rough start, his jockey losing his whip and making a late rally.
"Obviously, he's a very good horse," Calhoun said of the eventual Travers winner Leading Change. "But that day, I was the best horse."
Calhoun hopes that Our Moneyman, who has since changed ownership and made another journey from Churchill Downs, proves best without any trouble in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. Our Moneyman takes on 10 foes in the 9-furlong Pennsylvania Derby as the co-fourth choice at 8-1.
Our Moneyman drew post three for the Pennsylvania Derby and picks up the services of Manny Franco for Saturday's race. Calhoun looks for a clean break and less drama at the start Saturday, something Our Moneyman didn't get in three of his career defeats going back to his 2-year-old season.
"I do think the break cost me the race," Calhoun said Thursday morning outside Our Moneyman's stall on the Parx backstretch. "I thought I was probably the best horse that day. That being said, it was Brad's horse's second race of his life. I'm not saying I'll ever be as good as him. He goes on to win the Travers, but he did flatter us winning the Travers.
"When you're going to run against top horses, you can't have anything go wrong. You can't really overcome a lot to beat the top ones. You have to have a pretty good trip. I think if he gets a clean trip here, yes, I think he's got a real big chance."
Our Moneyman arrived at Parx early Thursday and will make his first trip to the track Friday morning. He'll look to not only win his first graded stakes, but a Grade 1 after finishing second in the Grade 3 Matt Winn behind Pennsylvania Derby morning-line favorite Further Ado and in the Indiana Derby.
Calhoun also hopes for a better outcome in this year's Pennsylvania Derby than his last appearance in the race. Mr. Money finished second in the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby, beaten a nose on the wire by 30-1 longshot Math Wizard after setting the pace.
Mr. Money raced for Chester Thomas' Allied Racing Stable, which stands the son of Goldencents at Clear Creek Stud in Louisiana. Allied also bred Our Moneyman and raced the colt before selling him for $2 million in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July horses of racing age sale.
The Saudi-based KAS Stable, through agent Pedro Lanz, purchased Our Moneyman at the Fasig-Tipton sale and kept the colt with Calhoun with long-range plans to possibly make a run at the $20 million Saudi Cup in February.
"It's an invitational race; you need to win a Grade 1, or you have to win the (local) prep," Calhoun said. "They're competitive people. You can tell right away. To them, it's about competition. When you get to the Saudi Cup ... it's about competing and trying to beat each other. So, I told them, 'look, this race here suits all your needs.' We looked at the Travers. There was a lot of depth in the Travers. I know we fit there and we stacked up well in there. But if you think you need a Grade 1 to get in there, (the Pennsylvania Derby) is a good way to get there, too. This is a good field and there are good horses in here, but there might not be five of them that you have to beat."
- Tom Law
Pennsylvania Derby favorite Further Ado takes first spin at Parx
Further Ado, the 2-1 morning-line favorite for Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 betPARX Pennsylvania Derby, got his first look at the Parx Racing main track Thursday morning and it did not go without a minor incident.
After arriving Wednesday night, Further Ado, accompanied by a pony, jogged once around the track just after 8 a.m. Thursday. Just before getting off the track, a loose horse bolted on by Further Ado, who paid the intruder no mind.
"He is a very cool horse, he doesn't get worked up over much," Blake Cox, assistant to his father, Brad Cox. "It scared me, but not him."
Further Ado comes into the Parx race off a fifth in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes as the favorite. He was defeated by 5 3/4 lengths by Baby Vino.
"It was probably not the greatest trip for him," Blake Cox said. "He was hustled out of there and he tried to keep up with the horse (Napoleon Solo) that was second that day. We are drawing a line though that and hope he can rebound on Saturday."
Further Ado has won four of his nine career starts, all the wins in Kentucky. He won the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs June 7 - defeating Pennsylvania Derby rival Our Moneyman by 2 lengths - and had a rousing 11-length win in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland April 4.
He also won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs by 1 3/4 lengths last November as a 2-year-old after breaking his maiden by 20 lengths at Keeneland in October.
"He has shown signs of brilliance and has shown some races where we could not come up with any excuses," Blake Cox said. "Some might say he is inconsistent, but he is a Grade 1 winner and a very nice horse, one that we love to train. And we're thankful for (owner) Spendthrift (Farm) sending him to us."
Further Ado will be ridden in the Pennsylvania Derby by Flavien Prat and will start from post seven.
- Tim Wilkin
Team Delgado hopes The Puma sings sweet tune in PA Derby
Behind every horse's name, there is a story.
Here is The Puma's story.
The 3-year-old colt, the 4-1 second choice in Saturday's betPARX $1 million, Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, has a unique moniker.
He is named for his trainer, Gustavo Delgado.
Delgado is a big fan of perhaps the most popular singer in his homeland of Venezuela, Jose Luis Rodriguez. Some say he is the Frank Sinatra of Venezuela.
The nickname of Rodriguez is El Puma. The singer, now 83, was also known for his thick, wavy white head of hair. Same is true for Delgado, who has also been called "The Puma."
It was inevitable that one day a horse would be named for the singer and the trainer. That day is here.
"Back in the day, (Rodriguez) was the guy," Gustavo Delgado Jr., son and assistant to his father, said. "He is kind of like Julio Iglesias. The Puma. That is what we call my dad."
The Puma, the horse, is owned by OGMA Investments, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, YNG Stables and JR Ranch. He was last seen finishing fourth in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes August 29 at Saratoga Race Course. He has started six times in his career - all as a 3-year-old - and has one win, two seconds and a third.
His lone win came in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby March 7. The Puma also finished second in the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park March 28, losing by a neck to Commandment.
- Tim Wilkin
Local longshot Freedom's Echo set for graded stakes debut
Nicholas Cammarano Jr.'s Freedom's Echo will make his first graded stakes start in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1, betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
Fresh off a third in the $200,000 Smarty Jones Stakes August 18 at Parx, the Guadalupe Preciado-trained colt will meet much tougher competition than he's faced in his prior six starts.
"It's looking like a tough race," Preciado said during Thursday morning's training break.
The son of Independence Hall will have to contend with 10 others at post time, but it's his own pre-start antics that can cost him a decent placing once the field breaks from the gate.
That was the case in his stakes debut in the Jerome Stakes January 3 at Aqueduct, where he faded to last in a field of four.
"We had a lot of hope with this horse in the beginning, but he went crazy in the gate before the start in the Jerome in New York and got hurt," said Preciado. "We then gave him time off because he cut himself all over.
"After that we tried to run back here, but the vet scratched him because he destroyed the gate. The gate crew told me they never saw a horse ruin the gate like he did. He destroyed the stall."
Freedom's Echo finally behaved and finished fourth against optional-claiming company then stepped up amid tougher and rallied to win after a rider change to Paco Lopez. The pair then returned to finish third in the Smarty Jones.
"Paco told me after the win that he's a nice horse, but he doesn't know what he's supposed to do yet," Preciado said. "Then after the Smarty Jones he said he didn't run the same. He never ran his race. So, on Saturday, like my owner said, 'What do we have to lose?' so we'll run and see."
Preciado, who will saddle five horses Saturday, still needs to finalize a rider for the Pennsylvania Derby. Lopez is named to ride Micanopy in the Derby and Preciado will need to find a jockey who can handle his tough Kentucky-bred. He said the decision might be between Parx veteran Frankie Pennington, or the "new kid" Yedsit Hazlewood, an Eclipse Award finalist last year for outstanding apprentice.
Freedom's Echo will break from post eight and is 20-1 on the morning line.
- Anthony Affrunti
Pletcher looks for Zany to return to juvenile form in Cotillion
At the start, the expectations were heading skyward for Zany, who showed nothing but brilliance early in her career.
The daughter of American Pharoah blasted onto the scene as a 2-year-old, blitzing her competition in two starts. Her first runs produced two dominating wins.
A debut win by 6 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park November 2 started things off. Then, straight to a graded stakes and another laugher, an 8 1/2-length triumph in the Grade 2 Demoiselle December 6 at Aqueduct.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher thought the filly might be on the same trajectory as some of his other leading distaffers like Ashado, Rags to Riches and Malathaat, just to name a few.
The 3-year-old season has not been so good for Zany compared to how she started. Pletcher now hopes Mike Repole's filly can restart her career in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.
Zany has started four times so far this year and has one win, that coming in her first start, the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Since then, crickets.
A second in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland, a sixth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks (as the lukewarm 5-1 favorite) and then a fourth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga.
And a lot of head scratching from Pletcher.
"Yes, I feel like she has," Pletcher said when asked if Zany has underachieved. "Anytime you have one that you think has a chance to win some of those races and doesn't, it's disappointing."
Pletcher can't pinpoint what has happened to Zany since her sizzling start, but he knows how good she was early on. He expected big things this year. How big?
"I was expecting her to be an undefeated Kentucky Oaks winner," Pletcher said. "I thought that was possible."
Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez will ride Zany for the second time in the Cotillion. He rode her to a fourth in the Coaching Club American Oaks.
Pletcher said there was nothing wrong with the filly physically, she trained the right way and he knows the talent is there.
"When you win the Demoiselle by 8 lengths in your second start; that is pretty hard to do," Pletcher said. "We're hoping she gets back to her best. Hopefully, she will round back into her better form."
- Tim Wilkin
Micanopy looks to continue rise in Pennsylvania Derby
Micanopy may be a 15-1 longshot in Saturday's $1 million, Grade 1 betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing, but when you consider he was claimed for $8,000 five months ago, his connections are just happy to be here.
"It's a big field of horses, and everything has to go right. It's definitely a talented group," said trainer Michael Simone, who won a five-way shake for owner Jane Perry at Tampa Bay Downs April 26, when Micanopy won by 2 lengths. "We have our work cut out for us, but at the same time, I'm very happy the way he's going in the race. It's a dream being able to run in it."
Micanopy won once in five starts for trainer Jose D'Angelo before Simone dropped the slip at Tampa. He brought him to his summer base at Delaware Park, where the gelding won an optional claimer, ran second on the turf and fourth in an allowance. Simone thought he ran better than it looks in the last one, so he decided to take a shot in the $200,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx August 18.
After the son of Uncle Chuck won comfortably and gave Simone his first stakes win, the trainer set his sights on his first Grade 1 start.
"We thought we might have been a little overzealous in that race," he said. "It was a $200,000 stake. We wanted to see if he fit in with those. We didn't expect him to put in that kind of effort. He's always been training well and he's been surprising us each race."
Admittedly, it would be somewhat of a stunner to take down the likes of Further Ado, The Puma and Iron Honor, but you know what they say about having to be in it to win it.
"We did not really picture this, I could tell you that," said Simone, whose late father, Victor, trained two-time graded stakes winner Brushing Up in the late 1990s. "It's good to take a shot for a million dollars the way he ran there. He looks like a 3-year-old that's getting a little better and on the rise. For him to run the way he did first time over it, I think we really want to see what he could do in the sequel."
He'd like it to be a thriller.
- Paul Halloran
Mandatory distribution Saturday for Philly Big 5
Parx Racing will again offer mandatory distribution of the Philly Big 5 on Saturday's betPARX Pennsylvania Derby Day card.
The pick 5 wager, a 50-cent minimum wager with a special 15% takeout, will be offered from Race 11-15 Saturday. The sequence starts with the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile, with the Grade 2 Gallant Bob, Grade 1 Cotillion and Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby also included.
The Philly Big 5 features a carryover of more than $151,000 in the pool through Tuesday. For more information on the Philly Big 5, click here.
Saturday's card will also feature seven pick 4s, starting in the first, second, fourth, sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th races.
All races Saturday will offer win-place-show, daily double, exacta, trifecta, superfecta. Pick 3s will be offered in all races except the 14th and 15th.
Something for everyone on Pennsylvania Derby Day
Saturday's betPARX Pennsylvania Derby Day card features two seven-figure Grade 1 headliners along with a bevy of family friendly activities and options for serious horseplayers alike.
The Pennsylvania Derby for 3-year-olds and Grade 1 Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies take center stage on the track, along with the Grade 2, $400,000 Gallant Bob Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters and five other stakes.
Gates open at 10 a.m. ET with the first of 15 races on the card set for 10:35 a.m.
Parx Racing and Presque Isle Downs will bring back two popular wagers—the Pennsylvania Pick 4 and Keystone Daily Double—for a third consecutive year. The Pennsylvania Pick 4 features Friday's Presque Isle Mile Stakes and Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes and Saturday's Cotillion and Pennsylvania Derby.
With a minimum bet of 50 cents and a reduced takeout rate of 15%, the Pennsylvania Pick 4 is poised to offer substantial rewards for participants.
The Keystone Daily Double will again connect two marquee races—the Presque Isle Downs Masters and the Pennsylvania Derby. The Keystone Daily Double requires a minimum bet of $1 and will also feature a reduced takeout rate of 15%.
The day will also feature a 15- to 20-minute airshow presented by David Schultz Airshows between the Gallant Bob (post time 4:03 p.m.) and the Cotillion (post time 4:58 p.m.). The Bensalem High School choir will sing the national anthem leading into the airshow.
The picnic grove will again feature plenty of family fun, including pony rides, face painters and moon bounce, along with live music from Fish out of Water. Souvenir merchandise will be available along with food and beverage specials.
Parx Racing will again offer a free commemorative hat for all fans while supplies last.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.
