The Puma, under Javier Castellano, made a huge move around the far turn, opened up a 3-length lead through the stretch, and held off a late charge from Further Ado to win the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) by a half-length Sept. 19 at Parx Racing.
Trained by Gustavo Delgado, the son of Essential Quality finished the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:49.10 after Ponder and Dream ran the first quarter in :23.27 and Talk to Me Jimmy took over by a half-length with middle fractions of :47.69 and 1:12.10.
The blinkers surely helped The Puma as he showed a powerful sustained drive, passing horses one by one until he took the lead from Sassmaster approaching the top of the stretch. From there, the only challenge came from Further Ado, who finished second. Sassmaster held on for third.
The Puma, owned by OGMA Investments, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, YNG Stables, and JR Ranch, paid $7.40 for a $2 wager. The victory, the second in seven starts, put him over the $1 million mark in career earnings.
Hidden Brook Farm and Brian Kahn bred the 3-year-old colt, who was purchased by Marquee Bloodstock for $150,000 at the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. With the victory, The Puma gave his sire his first grade 1 winner.
This story will be updated.
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