Four Pennsylvania Derby Contenders Worth Your Wager
By Robert Marks, (@theyreinthegate)
We have the Pennsylvania Derby, a $1 million Grade 1 contest for 3-year-olds at PARX this Saturday, 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, featuring an accomplished field of 11 colts an geldings. Carded as race 14 on a stakes-filled card, post time is 5:48 PM EST. Let’s review our top choices.
The 2026 Pennsylvania Derby shapes up as a competitive race, but the Past Performances point to three horses that stand out when balancing ability against expected Post time odds.
My top three selections are 7. Further Ado, 6. The Puma, and 2. Iron Honor, with 3. Our Moneyman as the longshot worth considering underneath or in larger exotic wagers.
7. Further Ado at 2-1 is my top value selection. Brad Cox is the Trainer with Flavien Prat the Jockey. What’s not to like? He owns the field's best speed figure of 105 (Brisnet). His record is also impressive, with four victories from nine starts and more than $1.47 million in earnings. He demonstrated Grade 1 ability when winning the Blue Grass Stakes and subsequently finished fifth in the Haskell where he went off as an Even money line favorite. The Haskell result is somewhat concerning, but his prior 105 speed figure and strong overall numbers suggest he remains capable of a major effort. I’m hoping he drifts up towards 3-1 come post time for more value.
6. The Puma trained by Delgado Gustavoe with Javier Castellano as the Jockey is my second selection. He comes into the race with the highest last-race speed figure in the field, a 103, and speed wise I would put him second only to Further Ado. His recent fourth-place finish in the Travers was respectable considering the quality of that field, and he previously finished only a nose behind the winner in the Florida Derby. He also won the Tampa Bay Derby. The addition of blinkers could produce further improvement. At approximately 4-1, he is not a huge price, but his figures make him a logical contender to finish in the top three.
2. Iron Honor, Trained by Chad Brown, is my third selection and perhaps the most interesting alternative to the shorter-priced horses. His Brisnet Prime Power rating of 143.9 ranks third, while his 100 speed figure matches the best recent figures in the field. He has already demonstrated Grade 1 competitiveness, finishing second in the Preakness and third in the Haskell. The return of blinkers is another potential positive and Jose Ortiz is aboard for the first time. His morning line price of 5-1 provides considerably more value than simply taking a short price on the favorites.
For a longshot, 3. Our Moneyman is my choice. He finished second in both of his most recent graded-stakes appearances, the Indian Derby and the Matt Winn. He has also been remarkably consistent, with three wins, five seconds and a third from nine lifetime starts. His weakness is that he has yet to win at this level, but his 8-1 odds could compensate for that concern. Will be running with Blinkers added. Should be running late and having Saratoga Leading Jockey Manny Franco aboard for the first time will only help.
My value selections: 7. Further Ado, 6. The Puma, 2. Iron Honor. Longshot: 3. Our Moneyman.
This will be an interesting race. We look for a moderate to fast pace with Iron Honor making a move at the final turn tracking the pace setter Further Ado. The Puma and Our Moneyman should both be coming down the stretch late. As always watch the Horses in the Paddock and the odds as Post time approaches and then make final selections accordingly.
Bets: $100 dollar Budget
$5 Trifecta Box: Iron Honor, Further Ado, The Puma (total bet $30)
$10 Exacta Box: Further Ado, The Puma, (total bet $60)
$5 Win Bet: Iron Honor (Total bet: $5)
$5 Place Bet: Our Moneyman (Total Bet: $5)
