Photo:
Candice Chavez / Eclipse Sportswire
The Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing on Saturday drew a field of 11. The 1 1/8-mile signature race at Parx stands as the final Grade 1 stakes race of 2026 restricted to 3-year-olds at two turns.
Four graded stakes winners, including lone Grade 1 winner Further Ado, headline the field. Five others own stakes victories, and six made an appearance on the road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Further Ado and Iron Honor bring the field’s only Triple Crown experience. Summer winners of the West Virginia Derby (G3), the Ellis Park Derby and the Smarty Jones at Parx also entered.
A full field analysis for the Penn Derby follows with the official track morning-line odds from Parx Racing. The race goes at 5:48 p.m. EDT as race 14 out of 15 on a card that includes seven other stakes.
1. Zihnal, 8-1. Quality Road – Jonathan Thomas / John Velazquez – 5: 2-0-0 – $286,241. Zihnal broke his maiden in his third start, which was at Horseshoe Indianapolis in June. The following month he was fourth in the Indiana Derby (G3) and last month he pressed the pace to win the West Virginia Derby by more than six lengths in what was by far the best race of his career. He will ship up from his training base at Turfway Park. Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez will stay on board after the Grade 3 victory. Live long shot.
2. Iron Honor, 5-1. Nyquist – Chad Brown / José Ortiz – 5: 2-1-1 – $729,250. Iron Honor won the first two races of his career at Aqueduct moving from a maiden to the Gotham (G3) on the Kentucky Derby trail. After a seventh in the Wood Memorial (G2), Iron Honor rallied to be second-best in the Preakness. Last seen he was third in the Haskell (G1) after chasing Napoleon Solo again and getting passed by the long shot Baby Vino. Blinkers go back on and José Ortiz gets on board for the first time. Win contender.
3. Our Moneyman, 8-1. Mr. Money – Bret Calhoun / Manny Franco – 9: 3-5-1 – $392,067. Our Moneyman began his career in Kentucky and was a maiden winner in his second try on a sloppy track at Keeneland in October. The Louisiana-bred then ran in four state-bred stakes at Fair Grounds getting two wins and two seconds. He moved back to open company and maintained his record of top-three finishes in an allowance and then the Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. Last seen, he missed winning the Indiana Derby after racing in tight quarters down the stretch and the rider dropped his crop. Manny Franco, the leading rider at Saratoga, gets the mount for the first time. Live long shot.
4. Igniter, 8-1. Volatile – Richard Dutrow Jr. / Luis Saez – 8: 4-0-3 – $463,700. Igniter made his first five starts in New York with a maiden win at Aqueduct in September followed by the Jimmy Winkfield. He went on the road for his next three races running third in the Chick Lang on the Preakness undercard, third again in the Maxfield (G3) at Churchill and was last seen winning the Ellis Park Derby in August. He pressed the pace in that mid-major derby and drew off to win by four lengths as the even-money favorite in a field of five. Dutrow won the Penn Derby in 2004 with Love of Money. Win contender.
5. Talk to Me Jimmy, 12-1. Modernist – Rudy Rodriguez / Ruben Silvera – 7: 3-2-1 – $357,000. Talk to Me Jimmy ran his first two and his last two races against New York-breds. He was a maiden winner in November at Aqueduct and won the New York Derby at Finger Lakes in July. In between he won the Withers on the Derby trail by 11 lengths with a front-end effort and was second in the Peter Pan (G3). Ruben Silvera gets the mount after Manny Franco opted to ride Our Moneyman. Use underneath.
6. The Puma, 4-1. Essential Quality – Gustavo Delgado / Javier Castellano – 6: 1-2-1 – $567,280. The Puma got his maiden victory in his third start, which was in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) on the Kentucky Derby trail, and then was second in the Florida Derby (G1) ahead of Further Ado. After a three-month layoff, he came back to run fourth in the Haskell and again in the Travers (G1). He lugged in down the stretch at Saratoga and comes back with blinkers on. Like others better.
7. Further Ado, 2-1. Gun Runner – Brad Cox / Flavien Prat – 9: 4-1-1 – $1,476,958. Further Ado is the only $1 million earner and the Grade 1 winner in the field. All four of his trips to the winner’s circle were in Kentucky. He broke his maiden at Keeneland in October and then won the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) as he moved onto the Derby trail. The son of Gun Runner romped in the Blue Grass (G1) with the 11-length front-end score. In a typical kind of rough trip in the run for the roses, he was not far behind before finishing 11th. He came back with a victory in the Matt Winn before a disappointing fifth in the Haskell. Flavien Prat gets the mount for the first time. Brad Cox won the Pennsylvania Derby in 2023 with Saudi Crown. Win contender.
8. Freedom’s Echo, 20-1. Independence Hall – Guadalupe Preciado / TBA – 6: 2-0-1 – $75,430. Freedom’s Echo broke his maiden at Parx in November by 11 lengths in a $40,000 maiden claimer. He tried the Derby trail in the Jerome and was a distant last-place finisher. After a five-month layoff and a lackluster return, Freedom’s Echo won a $75,000 optional claimer. He was a distant third in the Smarty Jones. Toss.
9. Sassmaster, 10-1. Curlin – Todd Pletcher / Tyler Gaffalione – 3: 2-0-0 – $140,496. Sassmaster made one start as a 2-year-old and was fourth at Saratoga. He returned in June at Churchill to break his maiden and then won a nine-furlong allowance at Saratoga last month. Pletcher had a Penn Derby winner with Harlan’s Holiday in 2002. Toss.
10. Micanopy, 15-1. Uncle Chuck – Michael Simone / Paco Lopez – 10: 4-2-0 – $204,420. Micanopy began his career racing against state-breds at Gulfstream Park where he won a maiden in his second try but then was uncompetitive three times facing winners. In April, he got claimed after a victory in an $8,000 N2L claimer at Tampa. He spent the summer at Delaware Park and had a striking form reversal winning a starter allowance, getting second in a $75,000 optional claimer and a fourth in an allowance. Micanopy then won the Smarty Jones by more than a length at 5-1. Toss.
11. Ponder and Dream, 20-1. Uncle Lino – Robert Reid Jr. / Mychel Sanchez – 10: 3-4-2 – $225,850. Ponder and Dream hit the board in three maiden races for Pennsylvania-breds but then broke his maiden against open company in December. This year he won twice in a state-bred allowance and a stakes race at Parx. He set the pace in the Smarty Jones before finishing second. Toss.
Summary: Further Ado is the only millionaire and Grade 1 winner in the Pennsylvania Derby field, but at 2-1 on the morning line he is a favorite I will play against in this field of 11.
Six of the 3-year-olds in the field have their best results when they race on or near the lead. Thus, preference will go to horses coming from off the pace. At the top of that list is Our Moneyman, who finished second in his most recent starts in the Matt Winn and the Indiana Derby. He gets a significant rider upgrade to Manny Franco, who is on the heels of a brilliant summer as the leading rider at Saratoga. Last time Our Moneyman got squeezed back at the start and then the rider dropped his crop in the middle of a stretch duel but still missed by a neck. Our Moneyman is the top pick in the Pennsylvania Derby at 8-1 morning-line odds.