Pennsylvania Derby: Reincarnate leads 11-horse field

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will be looking for his record fifth victory when he sends out favored Reincarnate in the 43rd running of Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx.

Reincarnate, owned by SF Racing, LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, was installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Pennsylvania Derby, which drew a field of 11.

The Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion headline Saturday’s card that also includes the $400,000, Gallant Bob (G2) for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile for 3-year-olds and up, the $250,000 Turf Monster (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 5 furlongs on the turf and the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/2 miles.

The card also features a pair of $150,000 events for Pennsylvania-bred and sired 2-year-olds in the Imply Stakes and Prince Lucky Stakes, the $100,000 Plum Pretty Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up and the $100,000 Alphabet Soup Stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds and up.

The Pennsylvania Derby goes as the 13th of 14 races Saturday, with post time at 6:10 p.m. EDT. First post Saturday is 11:35 a.m. EDT.

Reincarnate, who will be ridden by Juan Hernandez, will start from the outside post no. 11.

“Oh, man, I am going to hang up,” Baffert said with a laugh by phone from California when told Reincarnate’s post for the 1 1/8-mile race. “It means lucky 11. I was hoping to get in the middle somewhere, but you can’t change it. He’s still going.”

Reincarnate, a son of Good Magic, last raced July 8 when he won the Los Alamitos Derby gate-to-wire by 2 1/2 lengths.

This season, he has two wins and two thirds in five starts. Before Los Alamitos, he was 13th in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.

“This race is going to be a good step up for him,” Baffert said. “He ran really well at Los Alamitos. He is going to have to break well and show up. That’s the main thing. If he shows up, I don’t see why he wouldn’t run well.”

FMQ Stables’ Saudi Crown, trained by Brad Cox, is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line. The son of Always Dreaming has been idle since a gutsy second-place finish behind Forte in the Jim Dandy (G2) at Saratoga on July 29. He was also second in the Dwyer (G3) May 21 at Belmont Park. He will be ridden by Florent Geroux.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Magic Tap, the 5-1 third choice on the morning line. The lightly-raced son of Tapit will be making his stakes debut in the Derby after winning an allowance race by a neck at Saratoga on Aug. 13. Magic Tap, who will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, has two wins and two seconds in his four career starts, all of them this year.

Scotland, owned by LNJ Foxwoods and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, will attempt to build off his sixth in the Travers (G1) Aug. 26 at Saratoga Race Course as he makes his first start since with regular rider Junior Alvarado. He is the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line.

Eduardo Soto’s Il Miracolo (8-1) comes into the Derby after winning the Smarty Jones (G3) on Aug. 22 at Parx for trainer Antonio Sano.

Gilmore, owned by the same connections as Reincarnate, was fourth in the Amsterdam (G2) July 28 at Saratoga and then won an allowance at the Spa Aug 30. The Brendan Walsh-trained son of Twirling Candy is 10-1 on the morning line and will be ridden by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who rode him in his first start nine races ago.

“The last race, and the way the horse has gone in general gives us more confidence going into this race,” Walsh said. “He’s doing great, really improving as the year has went on. We feel like it’s time to give him a shot at something like this.”

Post	Silks	Horse / Sire	Rating	Trainer / Jockey	Last Start / Next Start	HRN
1		Modern Era Honor Code	3.79	Uriah St. Lewis Patrick Henry Jr.	10th, Prx MSW (10/18/22-R7)	50-1
Last Race		10th, Prx MSW (10/18/22-R7)
2		Dreamlike Gun Runner	4.59	Todd A. Pletcher Irad Ortiz, Jr.	5th, Sar Allow (8/13/23-R8)	10-1
Last Race		5th, Sar Allow (8/13/23-R8)
3		Saudi Crown Always Dreaming	5.84	Brad H. Cox Florent Geroux	2nd, 2023 Jim Dandy G2	7-2
Last Race		2nd, 2023 Jim Dandy G2
4		Magic Tap Tapit	0.00	Steven M. Asmussen Tyler Gaffalione	1st, Sar Allow (8/13/23-R8)	5-1
Last Race		1st, Sar Allow (8/13/23-R8)
5		Scotland Good Magic	6.19	William I. Mott Junior Alvarado	6th, 2023 Travers Stakes G1	6-1
Last Race		6th, 2023 Travers Stakes G1
6		Daydreaming Boy Goldencents	6.09	Louis C. Linder Jr. Dexter Haddock	3rd, 2023 Smarty Jones G3	12-1
Last Race		3rd, 2023 Smarty Jones G3
7		West Coast Cowboy West Coast	4.79	Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. Tyler Conner	2nd, 2023 West Virginia Derby G3	12-1
Last Race		2nd, 2023 West Virginia Derby G3
8		Gilmore Twirling Candy	6.19	Brendan P. Walsh John R. Velazquezgi	1st, Sar Allow (8/30/23-R5)	10-1
Last Race		1st, Sar Allow (8/30/23-R5)
9		Crupi Curlin	5.76	Todd A. Pletcher	1st, Sar Allow (8/18/23-R5)	15-1
Last Race		1st, Sar Allow (8/18/23-R5)
10		Il Miracolo Gun Runner	5.30	Antonio Sano	1st, 2023 Smarty Jones G3	8-1
Last Race		1st, 2023 Smarty Jones G3
11		Reincarnate Good Magic	6.97	Bob Baffert Juan J. Hernandez	1st, 2023 Los Alamitos Derby LS	3-1
Last Race		1st, 2023 Los Alamitos Derby LS