Pennsylvania Derby, Cotillion, Smarty Jones among big September stakes for Parx Racing

Fresh off its annual three-week August break during the Saratoga meet, Parx Racing jumps into the most important part of its schedule Saturday.

Although still more than three weeks off, the fields for the newly promoted Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby and the Grade 1 Cotillion are beginning to take shape. The $1 million races will be held Sept. 23 and are supported by three other stakes, including the Grade 3, $300,000 Gallant Bob, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

The Doug O’Neill-trained trio of Irap, Pavel, and Mopotism were scheduled to arrive at Parx on Wednesday to prepare for their respective races. Irap, the third-place finisher in last Saturday’s Travers, is being pointed to the Pennsylvania Derby, while Mopotism, the runner-up in the Grade 2 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita and the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks, is being pointed to the Cotillion.

Pavel will start Monday in the Grade 3, $300,000 Smarty Jones, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds. He finished fourth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy in his most recent race, beaten only a half-length in a blanket finish for second behind 4 3/4-length winner Good Samaritan.

The Pennsylvania Derby field also is expected to include Wood Memorial winner Irish War Cry, who has worked twice for Graham Motion since his fourth-place finish in the Haskell Invitational, and Giuseppe the Great, who finished sixth in the Travers for Nick Zito.

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Possible starters include Travers winner West Coast and Shared Belief Stakes winner Battle of Midway.

The conditions of the Pennsylvania Derby include $50,000 starting bonuses for both the owner and trainer of any winner of a Triple Crown race, the Haskell, or the Travers.

The Cotillion is expected to draw Abel Tasman, who like West Coast is trained by Bob Baffert. Abel Tasman has won three consecutive Grade 1 races – the Coaching Club American Oaks, Acorn, and Kentucky Oaks.

Smarty Jones Day features three undercard stakes, including the Grade 3, $300,000 Turf Monster, a five-furlong turf sprint, and the Grade 3, $200,000 Greenwood Cup, a 1 1/2-mile race on the main track.

In addition to Pavel, the Smarty Jones is expected to lure Wood Memorial second-place finisher Battalion Runner from the stable of Todd Pletcher; West Virginia Derby winner Colonelsdarktemper, trained by Jinks Fires; and Iowa Derby winner Hence, conditioned by Steve Asmussen.

Sam Elliott, the track’s director of racing, is happy with how the races are coming up at this early juncture.

“September is a nice niche for us,” he said. “The Pennsylvania Derby is in a perfect spot on the calendar. On the national scene, these are the days where we mean something.”

The September stakes barrage begins Saturday with Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races, when five $100,000 stakes for statebreds will be held. The card includes Favorite Tale, who will be making his first start since March 2016, and 18-time winner Page McKenney.