Taiba takes another shot at Cyberknife in Pennsylvania Derby; Cotillion draws nine

Cyberknife and Taiba, separated by a head in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park, head a field of 11 3-year-olds entered Monday for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

In addition to Cyberknife and Taiba, the field includes two additional Grade 1 winners - Zandon and White Abarrio.

Cyberknife, trained by Brad Cox for Al Gold, rallied along the inside and outfinished a four-wide rallying Taiba to win the Haskell by a head in a track record time of 1:46.24 for the 1 1/8 miles. Cyberknife came back to finish a well-beaten second to Epicenter in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers going 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga. Epicenter is training up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 5.

For Cyberknife, the Pennsylvania Derby represents a turnback to 1 1/8 miles - the distance at which he won both the Haskell and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

Cyberknife, who will be ridden by Florent Geroux, drew post 5 and was installed as the 3-1 second choice on the morning-line.

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Taiba, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in just his second career start, drew post 8 and was made the 5-2 morning-line favorite. Trained by Bob Baffert, Taiba has not run since the Haskell, but has been training steadily and swiftly in Southern California.

“He’s started to figure it out, he’s more willing, before he was more of a lazy horse,” Baffert said. “He’s doing everything right. I think he’s coming into it really well. He got beat by a nice horse last time.”

Mike Smith rides Taiba.

Zandon, the Grade 1 Blue Grass winner, should also appreciate the turnback to 1 1/8 miles. He won the Blue Grass and was second to Epicenter in the Jim Dandy at that distance. He finished third in both the Kentucky Derby and Travers at 1 1/4 miles.

Joel Rosario, aboard for Zandon’s maiden win but not since, is reunited with the son of Upstart, who drew the rail.

White Abarrio, the Florida Derby winner, got stuck in post 11. He has been lighting up the track in recent weeks at Saratoga for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. Luis Saez has the call.

In between, Zandon and White Abarrio, in post order, are Icy Storm (Jeremy Laprida), B Dawk (Frankie Pennington), Skippylongstocking (Edwin Gonzalez), Cyberknife, We the People (Flavien Prat), Tawny Port (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Taiba, Simplification (Paco Lopez), and Naval Aviator (Abner Adorno).

Secret Oath back for more in Cotillion

Secret Oath, the Kentucky Oaks winner, will face eight opponents but none named Nest in the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion for 3-year-old fillies.

Secret Oath, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, is coming into the race off back-to-back runner-up finishes to Nest in the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama. The connections of Nest did not want to cut back to 1 1/16 miles and are looking at either the Grade 2 Beldame on Oct. 9 or training up to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 5.

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Secret Oath, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, will break from post 6 and will be ridden again by Luis Saez.

While trainer Todd Pletcher won’t run Nest, he will send out three runners against Secret Oath in Green Up, Shahama, and Goddess of Fire.

Green Up has won all four of her starts for Pletcher, including the Cathryn Sophia at Parx, by a combined 20 1/4 lengths. Shahama won the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks following a second to Gerrymander in the Grade 2 Mother Goose and a sixth in the Kentucky Oaks. Goddess of Fire has lost eight straight races but has placed in four graded stakes, including a third behind Nest and Secret Oath in the Alabama.

Adare Manor, trained by Bob Baffert, makes her first start since a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico on May 20.

From the rail out, the Cotillion field is Green Up (Irad Ortiz Jr.) Adare Manor (Mike Smith), Goddess of Fire (John Velazquez), Beach Daze (Adam Bowman), Gerrymander (Joel Rosario), Secret Oath, Shahama (Flavien Prat), Morning Matcha (Paco Lopez), and Society (Florent Geroux).