Pennsylvania Derby lineup grows by three
The field for Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby continues to grow as the names Protonico, Bayern, and C J’s Awesome were added to those willing to take on Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome at Parx.
Others expected to enter Monday against California Chrome are Candy Boy, Classic Giacnroll, Noble Moon and Tapiture.
Protonico, winner of the Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx on Sept. 1, was confirmed as a starter by trainer Todd Pletcher after the horse worked four furlongs in 49.26 seconds Sunday morning over the Belmont training track. Protonico, working in company with the 2-year-old maiden Eskendido, went his first quarter in 24.53 seconds and his second quarter in 24.73 seconds, before galloping out five furlongs in 1:02.01 over a track labeled good.
“He seems to have bounced out of the race well. His energy level has been good. His work was good today,” Pletcher said. “If he looks good tomorrow we plan to go to Pennsylvania. He had a very good race over the track and typical of a lot of the Giants Causeways I’ve been around, seems to thrive on activity - much like the sire did himself. He’s the type you can look at running back on a little bit shorter rest.”
Though Joe Bravo rode Protonico to victory in the Smarty Jones, Javier Castellano will ride Protonico in the Pennsylvania Derby, Pletcher said. Before his victory in the Smarty Jones, Protonico finished third behind V.E. Day in the Curlin Stakes. V.E. Day came back to win the Grade 1 Travers.
Bayern, the Haskell winner, was confirmed as a starter by trainer Bob Baffert after he worked five furlongs in 58.60 seconds Sunday morning at Santa Anita. The move was the fastest of 78 works at the distance.
Baffert said the move was actually three-quarters “in 1:11-and-change.” Baffert said Bayern worked in company with the multiple stakes winner Can the Man.
“I just like the way he did it, in hand the whole way,” Baffert said. “This track is getting tight now.”
Martin Garcia will ride Bayern as well as Jo Jo Warrior for Baffert in the Cotillion
C J’s Awesome, a 7 1/2-length allowance winner on closing day at Saratoga, will also run in the Pennsylvania Derby, trainer Ken McPeek said Sunday.
Since removing blinkers from C J’s Awesome’s equipment, the son of Awesome again has two wins and a third-place finish, beaten a half-length.
“He wouldn’t rate in blinkers. He wouldn’t relax in them,” McPeek said. “We couldn’t get him to understand he didn’t have to go as far and as fast and as hard as he could.”
On Sunday, at Santa Anita, Candy Boy worked six furlongs in 1:12.40. In his last two starts, Candy Boy finished second to Shared Belief in the Los Alamitos Derby and was beaten a nose by Tapiture in the West Virginia Derby. Prior to that, he finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby.
“Since the [Kentucky] Derby his last two races were his best races,” trainer John Sadler said. “He’s running well. We think we got a shot.”
Candy Boy will be on the same flight with California Chrome and Bayern on Tuesday.
On Sunday at Saratoga, West Virginia Derby winner Tapiture worked four furlongs in 50.20 seconds over the Oklahoma training track.