Baeza, second or third in four of the nation’s toughest races for 3-year-olds since early April, was declared on schedule for the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 20 after a quick six-furlong workout in 1:11.60 at Santa Anita on Friday. Baeza was ridden by Hector Berrios, who has the mount in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at 1 1/8 miles. “Hector said the track was really heavy this morning,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “I think it was a really good work. “We’re just maintaining his level of fitness, looking to see how his energy level is. We wanted to keep him at his task.” Berrios has ridden Baeza three times – to a win in a maiden race in February at Santa Anita, a second by three-quarters of a length to Journalism in the Santa Anita Derby in April, and a second by a length to top 3-year-old Sovereignty in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on July 26. Flavien Prat rode Baeza to third-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 3, and in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga on June 7. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports The close finishes in the Santa Anita Derby and Jim Dandy Stakes has Shirreffs optimistic that Baeza can record a breakthrough win in the Pennsylvania Derby. “I think in some of the races he had a little better chance if things went differently,” he said. “As always, you need a bit of racing luck in these situations.” Baeza, who races for Lee and Susan Searing’s CRK Stakes, has one win in seven starts and has earned $948,500. Baeza is one of three Southern California-based runners expected to start in the Pennsylvania Derby along with two contenders trained by Bob Baffert – Goal Oriented and Nevada Beach. Goal Oriented was third by three-quarters of a length to Journalism in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 19 in his last start. Nevada Beach has not raced since an easy win by 4 1/4 lengths in the Los Alamitos Derby on June 28. On Friday at Santa Anita, Goal Oriented and Nevada Beach worked six furlongs in 1:12.20. It was not immediately clear on Friday who will ride Goal Oriented and Nevada Beach. Flavien Prat, who rode Goal Oriented in the Haskell, is booked to ride at Aqueduct on Sept. 20, according to his agent, Brad Pegram. Juan Hernandez, who has ridden Nevada Beach in all three of his races, is suspended for one day on Sept. 20 for a whip violation. Hernandez was cited for hitting Penny Worth twice over the permitted level of six strikes in the eighth race at Del Mar on Sept. 5. Penny Worth finished fourth in a one-mile maiden race on turf. In addition to the one-day penalty, Hernandez was fined $500. Jockeys Ricardo Jaime and Umberto Rispoli also received one-day suspensions for whip violations in the closing days of the Del Mar meeting, which ended last Sunday. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Jaime will be suspended on Sept. 20 and was fined $250 for striking Cagey Burglar seven times when the gelding won a $12,500 claimer for maidens on Sept. 5. Rispoli will be suspended on Sept. 19 and was fined $1,752 for striking The Padre seven times in a winning ride in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Aug. 31. The cash penalty represents approximately 10 percent of Rispoli’s earnings in the race. Southern California Thoroughbred racing will be held at Los Alamitos on Sept. 19-20. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.