Rock Your World will pass on Pennsylvania Derby, point to Twilight Derby

Rock Your World, one of California’s leading 3-year-olds, will be held out of the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Sept. 25 in favor of the Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita on Oct. 31, trainer John Sadler wrote in a text message Saturday.

Sadler wrote that he would prefer to “wait” for the Twilight Derby for Rock Your World’s next start.

Earlier on Saturday, Rock Your World worked five furlongs in 59.40 seconds at Santa Anita, his second workout since a second-place finish behind Medina Spirit in the Shared Belief Stakes at a mile on dirt at Del Mar on Aug. 29. Rock Your World worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Santa Anita on Sept. 11.

Owned by Hronis Racing and Michael Talla, Rock Your World has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $611,600 in a career highlighted by a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April. Rock Your World was later 17th in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, and sixth in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5.

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The $200,000 Twilight Derby is run at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Rock Your World is unbeaten in two starts on turf, both at Santa Anita – a maiden special weight race at six furlongs in his debut in January and the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on Feb. 27.

The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby is expected to include two other top California-based runners in Medina Spirit and Hot Rod Charlie, who had workouts at Santa Anita on Friday.

Hot Rod Charlie worked seven furlongs in 1:24.20, while Medina Spirit worked six furlongs in 1:12.60.

Hot Rod Charlie was third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes, but was disqualified from first in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on July 17 for causing interference in the stretch.

Medina Spirit tested positive for betamethasone in the Kentucky Derby, a violation that is currently the subject of legal action and could result in the colt being disqualified in the world-famous race.

Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit won the Shared Belief Stakes in his first start since a third-place finish in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 15.