Pennsylvania Derby Handicapping Picks
Horse racing gamblers are you looking for 2024 Pennsylvania Derby Free Pick & Handicapping Odds…plus some predictions? Need some advice on who to take? The 2024 (G1) Penn Derby is set for September 21 at Parx Racing in Bensalem, PA. Here’s a preview of our top contenders.
Pennsylvania Derby Preview
- Race: Pennsylvania Derby
- Purse: $1 million
- Track: Parx Racing
- Date: September 21, 2024
- Post Time: 6:10 PM (ET)
- Live: Pennsylvania Derby Odds: Click Here
Before we can give you our expert 2024 Pennsylvania Derby free pick, we have to break down the entries! In fact, we’d love to hear from you after you’ve given this post a read to see if you see an angle that we don’t!
2024 Pennsylvania Derby Handicapping
While most of the top three-year-old horses in the country are prepping for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships the first week of November, the ‘B’ team gathers at Parx Racing on Saturday for the Pennsylvania Derby.
There’s a wide range of back class in the field, including pair that already have a Grade 1 victory to their name but have been off form in their most recent efforts. Others include an upstart trying to make his name at the top level, and a couple local favourites looking for the upset.
The field of 11 will be racing 1 1/8 miles on the Park dirt course.
Odds listed here are provided by the Woodbine track oddsmaker.
2024 Pennsylvania Derby Free Pick & Handicapping: Dragoon Guard Race Odds: 9-5
The front running Dragoon Guard was second on debut last September before going away from the races for than seven months.
He’s come back with a vengeance in 2024, reeling off four straight wins including both the G3 Indians and G3 West Virginia derbies. In his last three he took the field wire-to-wire, and in the Indiana he was 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Stronghold, who he’ll meet again here.
2024 Pennsylvania Derby Free Pick & Handicapping: Stronghold Race Odds: 5-2
The aforementioned runner-up in the Indiana Derby, Stronghold grabbed a spot in the Kentucky Derby last spring after a win in the (G1) Santa Anita Derby, ultimately finishing a well-beaten seventh in the Run for the Roses.
That was the only time he didn’t finish first or second in seven starts to that point. Since the Derby in May he only has the Indiana Derby start under his saddle
Seize The Grey Race Odds: 5-1
Seize The Grey was on a bit of a roll last spring, with successive wins in the (G2) Pat Day Mile and (G1) Preakness Stakes seeming to indicate there was potential for bigger success going forward.
It hasn’t quite played out like that in his two summer races, as he was a non-factor seventh in the (G1) Belmont Stakes, and then also far back in the (G2) Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga in late July. He’ll get substantial class relief here compared to his last handful of efforts to try and regain his winning form.
Unmatched Wisdom Race Odds: 8-1
The least experienced runner the field, Unmatched Wisdom only has four career starts, but he came flying out to the gate and won the first three without much difficulty, including the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga in July.
Following that the connections threw him into deep waters in trying the (G1) Travers where he was well beaten going a 1 1/4 mile distance that was probably too far. Like Seize the Grey he’s taking a significant drop down in class against this field.
Here’s My 2024 Pennsylvania Derby Free Pick.
From a handicapping point of view, the field here is a bit underwhelming and features a grab bag of mostly negative signs.
For one, only two horses in the field are coming into it off of wins, that being Dragoon Guard and long shot Protective who only just got his maiden win in his seventh lifetime start. For several of these, it has been several races since they last visited the winners circle. A couple are coming in off of layoffs, and a couple more have never even hit the board in an unrestricted stakes race.
It could turn out that Dragoon Guard is all that and a bag of chips and runs away from this field. But I’m personally not impressed with his numbers, and for a price I’m willing to take a shot with Unmatched Wisdom.
Up until the Travers he was moving in the right direction, winning races while improving his speed rating each time out. Going up against the very best three-year-olds in the country was probably to ambitious, and I think he’ll find this field much more on his level.
Full Field: 2024 Pennsylvania Derby Odds
By post position
- #1 – Doc Sullivan 12-1
- #2 – Seize The Grey 5-1
- #3 – Lonesome Boy 20-1
- #4 – Timeout 10-1
- #5 – Protective 8-1
- #6 – Just Step On It 15-1
- #7 – Dragoon Guard 9-5
- #8 – Unmatched Wisdom 8-1
- #9 – Who’s The King 20-1
- #10 – Uncle Heavy 12-1
- #11 – Stronghold 5-2
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