The Puma and blinkers prove winning combo in Pennsylvania Derby

BENSALEM, Pa. - When Javier Castellano jumped off The Puma following his fourth-place finish in the Travers Stakes three weeks ago at Saratoga, the first thing he told trainer Gustavo Delgado was that he should add blinkers to the colt’s equipment.

Castellano felt The Puma ran spotty in the Travers, in which he was beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Leading Change.

“We need to put on blinkers, I think he’s going to move forward to the next level,” Castellano said.

Sometimes, it pays to listen to a Hall of Fame jockey.

Delgado did listen and in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing, The Puma, equipped with blinkers for the first time, made an eye-catching move around the far turn to open up a three-length lead in midstretch. The Puma had just enough to hold off a late-running Further Ado to win by a half-length. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Sassmaster in third.

Our Moneyman finished fourth, 9 3/4 lengths in front of Igniter. Talk to Me Jimmy, Iron Honor, Freedom’s Echo, Micanopy and Ponder and Dream completed the order of finish. Zinhal scratched.

It was The Puma’s first win since he defeated Further Ado by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby six months ago. In between, The Puma got beat a nose by Commandment in the Grade 1 Florida Derby, was scratched from the Kentucky Derby the morning of the race due to inflammation in a hock and finished fourth in both the Haskell and Travers.

“Every trainer, every owner would like to win a G1, it’s better for all the people, for all the partners, it’s very good,” Delgado said.

The Puma had run his best race in the Florida Derby, three weeks after the Tampa Bay Derby. So, coming back in three weeks in the Pennsylvania Derby after the Travers was not an issue provided the horse trained well in between, which he did.

Castellano said it was by design that he moved when he did, letting The Puma roll from seventh to first from the three-eighths pole to just before the quarter pole. The last horse he passed, Sassmaster, couldn’t keep up with The Puma in the stretch, but Further Ado, who had saved all the ground under Flavien Prat, came late, but the wire came first.

“My goal was to move premature, when the horses start backing up, try to move quicker earlier and try to get the jump on the other horses and try to get to the finish line and get it done and that’s exactly what I did,” said Castellano, who won his third Pennsylvania Derby. “He was always in the bridle with the blinkers, when I asked him, he gave it to me right away. At some point, I said ‘Oh my God, you moved too early Javier’ but he felt good, he’s happy and it was a great performance. He waited for horses, that’s the reason I switched my stick and hit him left-handed.”

Delgado said he was confident when Castellano made the move he did.

“When Javier moved to the front, I say ‘he wins,’ " Delgado said.

The Puma, a son of Essential Quality, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.10 and returned $7.40 as the second choice. He is owned in a partnership that includes OGMA Investments, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, YNG Stables and JR Ranch. The Puma ran in the turquoise and orange silks of High Step Racing, the operation of Randy Guy, for the first time since the Tampa Bay Derby.

“The Kentucky Derby scratch was definitely a gut punch,” Guy said. “But I thought he ran good races in his last two races even though he was fourth.”

Delgado said he would ship The Puma back to Saratoga, where he has been training since July 19 and, with the partners, come up with a plan to get to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

Further Ado, the 2-1 Pennsylvania Derby favorite, was getting a ground-saving trip under Prat, but when Castellano made his move, Prat had to wait before he was able to go after him.

“The winner opened up when I was in between horses so I had to wait a bit and he gave me a good run,” Prat said. “I honestly thought turning for home I was good enough to go by him but he just kept grinding.”

Sassmaster, trained by Todd Pletcher, was making his stakes debut after winning a 1 1/8-mile allowance race at Saratoga on Aug. 1. He did well to finish third, beaten just two lengths, after attending the early, albeit moderate pace.

“When we got to the top of the stretch, when he made the lead, he just got a little bit lost,” jockey Tyler Gaffalione said. “Then Javier put a little bit of pressure on and he got a little intimidated in there. After they got away from him, he re-engaged to go back after them. I was very impressed with him.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.