BENSALEM, Pa. - It isn’t a horse race with Hot Rod Charlie in it unless there is drama involved. Two months after being disqualified from first in the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park for interfering with Midnight Bourbon - who clipped heels with Hot Rod Charlie and unseated his rider -  Hot Rod Charlie again crossed the finish line first, 2 1/4 lengths clear of Midnight Bourbon in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing. The inquiry and objection signs were soon illuminated after Hot Rod Charlie, under Flavien Prat, had swerved out a path or two at the head of the lane, with Midnight Bourbon about a length behind and to his outside. This time, though, the track stewards made no change to the order of finish and Hot Rod Charlie got to keep his first Grade 1 victory. :: Get DRF Betting Strategies for exclusive analysis and wager recommendations from our expert handicappers. “He’s had so many hard-fought races and to not have a G1 on his resume seemed a little bit unfortunate for a horse as good as he is,” Hot Rod Charlie trainer Doug O’Neill said. “It’s good to finally get it.” Regarding the constant drama that follows Hot Rod Charlie, O’Neill said, “It’s classic isn’t it? This particular one didn’t seem as dramatic as the Monmouth race. … Thank God, he was clear, didn’t really cause any interference. It was just more our horse not cornering as well as he could.” Midnight Bourbon trainer Steve Asmussen didn’t quite see it the same way. “Dropping him once this year ain’t enough? That’s exactly what I got to say,” Asmussen said before the race was made official. “Anybody who’s ever watched a horse race knows that it [cost us momentum]. Where the [heck] is he going?” Asmussen said he watched the race from near the top of the stretch and thought Prat intentionally maneuvered Hot Rod Charlie into Midnight Bourbon’s path. Prat denied that assertion. “It was absolutely not intentional,” Prat said. “My horse, he looked at something on the inside, then he swapped leads. It was nothing I can control, but it was absolutely not intentional.  Especially after what happened last time, I would never try to do something like this.” Ricardo Santana Jr., Midnight Bourbon's rider, felt his momentum was stopped and it cost him three lengths, more than the margin of defeat. Santana also said when he spoke to the stewards that they told him that when Hot Rod Charlie came out, he should have moved Midnight Bourbon inside. The Pennsylvania Derby was reminiscent of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in March with Midnight Bourbon chasing Hot Rod Charlie around the track and losing to him by two lengths. Though speed wasn’t necessarily the best running style at Parx on Saturday, Prat found himself on the lead, about a length ahead of Midnight Bourbon through a quarter in 23.52 seconds, a half-mile in 47.07, and six furlongs in 1:10.76. Hot Rod Charlie did come out a path or two at the head of the lane, but appeared to be clear of Midnight Bourbon. Prat quickly corrected Hot Rod Charlie and he held Midnight Bourbon and Santana at bay through the stretch. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures Hot Rod Charlie, a son of Oxbow owned by Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Gainesway Stable, and Boat Racing, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.63 and returned $3.80 as the 4-5 favorite. Hot Rod Charlie was assigned a 111 Beyer Speed Figure for the victory. “I was watching races all day long, wow, that’s not what I was expecting,” Prat said of being on the lead.  “But I thought I was on the best horse, he was training absolutely perfect going into the race, so I said I won’t change his style and it worked out well. I thought I was under control the whole race and when it was time to go he kind of messed around a little bit and he swapped leads, but after I thought I was in control.” Midnight Bourbon, coming off a second to Essential Quality in the Travers last month at Saratoga, finished second by 4 1/2 lengths over Americanrevolution. Fulsome was fourth, followed by Bourbonic, Speaker’s Corner, I Am Redeemed, and Weyburn. Medina Spirit and Keepmeinmind were scratched. O’Neill said Hot Rod Charlie would ship back to his Southern California base on Tuesday to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on Nov. 6. O’Neill believes Hot Rod Charlie could be a “big force” in the Classic. “Obviously, there are some big-time horses out there that have more experience than him, but he’s coming around at a good time,” O’Neill said. “These 3-year-olds this time of year seem to have had a lot of success jumping up against the older competition. Hopefully, that holds true here.” *** The $13,799,491 all-sources handle was a one-day record for Parx.