Parx Racing: Southern Honor may be overlooked in Pennsylvania Nursery

Barbara Weidl/Equi-Photo

Res Judicata, winner of the Chris Elser Memorial, could go favored in the Pennsylvania Nursery.

Southern Honor was the 4-5 favorite when he finished second, two lengths ahead of 17-1 outsider Res Judicata, in a first-level allowance Oct. 21 at Parx Racing. But when the pair of 2-year-olds are rematched in Saturday’s $75,000 Pennsylvania Nursery, Res Judicata’s odds figure to be much lower than those of Southern Honor.

Res Judicata, a son of Smarty Jones who won the 2003 Nursery as a prelude to his Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories the following spring, will take heavy action and not only because of his sire. He’s also coming off an easy 6 1/4-length victory in a restricted stakes while racing on Lasix for the first time.

As a result, Res Judicata and Uptown Boy, winner of an overnight stakes at Delaware Park five weeks ago, are likely to vie for favoritism in the seven-furlong Nursery, restricted to 2-year-old Pennsylvania-bred colts and geldings.

In contrast, Southern Honor may be a little overlooked as the 9-2 third choice on the track’s morning line. In three races locally, Southern Honor has a maiden win and a pair of seconds.

Southern Honor prepped for this spot by working a bullet half-mile in 48.40 seconds Nov. 23. In addition, his trainer, Tony Dutrow, shows a 6-for-13 record (46 percent) the past five years with 2-year-olds returning from a break of 31 to 60 days in an ungraded sprint stakes.

Uptown Boy, the only three-time winner in the field of nine, finished a half-length behind Southern Honor when they met going 4 1/2 furlongs in June. He comes from the same connections – trainer T. Bernard Houghton and owner Thomas McClay – that produced 2011 Nursery winner Pollard’s Boy.

Res Judicata looked good winning the Chris Elser Memorial, a race restricted to 2-year-olds who spent at least 90 days on a South Carolina farm. He comes back relatively quickly, which is not one of trainer John Servis’s strengths. Over the past two seasons, Servis is just 1 for 13 with 2-year-olds returning in 21 days or less.

Sailor’s Revenge, 15-1 on the morning line, could be a live longshot. He defeated open-company maidens going a mile at Penn National two starts ago, then came from eighth to get third, 12 1/4 lengths behind Res Judicata, in the 6 1/2-furlong Elser.

Siente de Oros merits respect cutting back slightly in distance following back-to-back wins at a mile and six furlongs.