Kentucky horses in limelight at Parx

Pennsylvania Derby/Cotillion notes from Parx featuring Kentucky-based horses:

Mr. Money strong again in final Parx gallop

Mr. Money cruising to victory in Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes. Coady Photography

Peter Mudd stood in the shedrow in front of Mr. Money’s stall, wiped a few drops of sweat on his forehead and upper lip and gave trainer Bret Calhoun the two-word scoop on the colt’s second day of training early Friday morning at Parx Racing.

“Whew. Strong,” Mudd said after riding the second choice for Saturday’s Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby on his 1 1/2-mile gallop.

Calhoun, ready for owner Chester Thomas’ arrival Friday in advance of the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby, liked what he saw from the 3-year-old son of Goldencents.

“He’s strong,” Calhoun said. “That’s the way he trains every morning, that’s the way he breezes every morning. He’s very forward, puts a lot into it, and loves his job. You’re always concerned with how sharp he is. We’ve talked about it this week, but that’s pretty much him for the last several months through this win streak. That’s who he is.”

Calhoun hopes Mr. Money stays as sharp in the 1 1/8-mile Pennsylvania Derby, the headline of Saturday’s card at Parx that includes the Grade 1 Cotillion and five other stakes.

War of Will set for Saturday morning arrival

Gary Barber’s War of Will winning the Preakness Stakes under Tyler Gaffalione. Maryland Jockey Club photo

Five of the six horses scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby are on the grounds at Parx Racing. The sixth, Preakness Stakes winner War of Will, is shipping from Belmont Park early Saturday morning. He spent all spring in Kentucky with trainer Mark Casse’s divisions at Keeneland and Churchill Downs.

Casse said that the Gary Barber-owned War of Will would leave Belmont at 5 a.m. EDT Saturday and is set to arrive at Parx around 8 a.m.

“This is something we do all the time,” Casse said. “We have had horses ship five or six hours the day of a race. My thought is that I would rather have him in his house in the morning until he has to race.”

When Casse announced that War of Will was going to run in the Pennsylvania Derby, he decided he was going to send the son of War Front to Belmont once the meet at Saratoga Race Course ended on Labor Day. War of Will spent the summer in upstate New York but, because of the destination of his next race, the colt was shipped to Belmont rather than Lexington, Ky., where he trained after the Triple Crown races.

“Shorter trip,” Casse said about comparing the journey to Parx between Belmont and Keeneland. “He is a pro. He will be fine.”

Casse said he planned to arrive at Parx at approximately 11 a.m.

War of Will is the only horse to run in all three jewels of the Triple Crown. He was seventh in the Kentucky Derby (via the DQ of Maximum Security) and ninth in the Belmont Stakes. He finished fifth in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga last time out July 27.

Serengeti Empress settles in for Cotillion

Joel Politi’s Serengeti Empress winning the Kentucky Oaks. Coady Photography

Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress has settled in nicely in her barn on the Parx Racing backstretch since arriving from Kentucky Wednesday for her start in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion.

“She really shipped in well,” said Katy Allen, who traveled with the filly for trainer Tom Amoss. “She’s been really relaxed since she’s been here. When we shipped in for the Acorn (at Belmont Park) that was like the first time she really shipped long distance, and had to run like that with Guarana. She was just looking to run then, but now she’s been super relaxed. She’s usually just chill.  She’s the nicest horse I get to travel with disposition-wise.”

The Alternation filly will make her 11th career start in the Cotillion, a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She brings two runner-up finishes with her in the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Test since her victory in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs May 4.

The Oaks win was her second as a 3-year-old along with a front-running score in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds in February.

Joel Politi’s filly is now familiar with the Parx landscape, after being given a tour of her surroundings under Allen’s care until Amoss arrives Friday afternoon.

“We came in on Wednesday and we jogged Thursday, then just jogged 1 mile and galloped 1 (Friday),” Allen said. “We stopped at the paddock and went through it, then she went to the gate, and stood, so everything went good. We couldn’t ask for anything to go better.

“This is a deep field. It’s arguably tougher or as tough as the Oaks. All these fillies in here all have a shot.”

 Jones takes lighter approach with Street Band

Larry Jones and Street Band put some mileage in during Wednesday’s trip from Churchill Downs to Parx Racing for the $1 million Cotillion Stakes – roughly 700 to be somewhat precise – and the veteran Kentucky trainer hopes a lighter training regime for the Istan filly produces a result in Saturday’s Grade 1 co-feature.

The Larry Jones-trained an co-owned Street Band and jockey Sophie Doyle winning the Indiana Oaks. Coady Photography

“We know we’re fit,” Jones said. “We’re probably looking at a lack of miles though from the last race to her, but by design. We haven’t trained her as hard.

“She still comes in with only two works. We’re finding out that we don’t need to work her every week. We’ll work her one week, skip the next and she doesn’t seem to get as rank on us that way. And that’s the way Sophie (Doyle) is liking her.”

Doyle, who will ride the 8-1 fifth choice in the field of 11 3-year-old fillies, breezed Street Band 5 furlongs in 1:00.60 Monday at Churchill. She also worked her 12 days before in the identical time in Street Band’s only other work between the Cotillion and her third-place finish in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Alabama Aug. 17.

“The work (Monday) wasn’t as quick as how we worked for the Alabama, but she told me she did it better, she started off so relaxed,” Jones said.

“Sophie said, ‘once I squeezed on her at about the three-sixteenths pole, she came home.’ She galloped out in 13 and 2. Sophie said she thought it was a better work than before.”

Street Band shipped to Parx Wednesday, walked the shedrow Thursday and took her first trip around the main track Friday after the break. Under Jones and decked out in her usual draw reins and blinkers, Street Band made about a quarter-mile walk on the horse path along the backstretch before going on the track near the half-mile pole gap. She galloped around the far turn, through the lane and pulled up approaching the backstretch.

Jones walked her to the starting gate, arriving to a short schooling session at the same time as fellow Cotillion entrant and Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress. Jones originally planned to give Street Band a look at the paddock near the entrance to the first turn just past the finish, but changed plans when he got a look at the scene galloping the filly through the lane.

“The rail was up and I didn’t want to jump it,” he said. “That was OK. She was good out there and good at the gate. She didn’t want to walk back there at first but she followed Serengeti Empress. She said, ‘I’m used to following her anyway.’ I did let the gate crew know her and that if she’s a little apprehensive that it’s just her.”

The Cotillion, a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, attracted a field that also includes last year’s champion 2-year-old filly Jaywalk, unbeaten two-time Grade 1 winner Guarana and three-time Grade 1 winner Bellafina.

“It’s the best filly and mare race of the year,” Jones said. “These are some of the best ones out of the Kentucky Oaks. And Chad Brown’s horse (Guarana) didn’t run in the Oaks yet here she is and she’s the favorite. It’s a tough spot. We have to hope everything goes well and she gets the trip.”