By Dick Jerardi
On the final weekend of the first half of 2026, it was all Parx all the time all over the place. Or at least at the two places in the country with the most eyes on the racing there.
After racing there since 1894 and at a facility which opened in 1959, it was the end of live racing at Aqueduct with time for history lessons, nostalgia and, of course, a Parx invasion.
As Churchill Downs’ spring meet came to a close, there was time to consider exactly what we saw Sept. 20, 2025 at Parx when Baeza won the Pennsylvania Derby with Magnitude making the first big rally of his career to finish second. We did not know it then, but what we were seeing was a prelude to greatness.
A decision to consolidate downstate racing in New York at Belmont Park had been made years ago. When the new Belmont opens Sept. 18 with four racing surfaces (dirt, Tapeta, two turf) in a state-of-the-art building, it will be a big change for one of America’s flagship racing states.
This past weekend was a time to consider the past, celebrate what Aqueduct was and look forward to the next iteration of New York (and thus national) racing. The Belmont Stakes will return to Belmont Park next year as will the Breeders’ Cup for the first time since 2005.
The last race on the penultimate day of racing at the Big A was a maiden special going 6 furlongs on the grass. Parx Hall of Famer Frankie Pennington came up to Queens to ride 6-5 favorite Super Dave for trainer Wesley Ward. It was a blowout 5-length win for Pennington.
The first race, the next and last day was a $20,000 claimer going 1 mile on the grass. The race was won by 2-1 Tiznow Mama ridden by New York regular and Parx Hall of Famer Kendrick Carmouche for trainer Chad Summers.
The last race on the last day was won by the perfectly named Parx-based Assume Nothing for jockey Jaime Rodriguez and trainer Jamie Ness who has won every Parx title of the 2020s. The horse went off at 8-1 and like Super Dave and Tiznow Mama went gate to wire.
After the race was over, Carmouche, a man of the people if ever there was one, led a jockeys’ charge to the track apron so he could hang with his people one last time. It was a perfect final scene for a track where equine legends like Kelso, Dr. Fager and Secretariat once raced and human legends like Angel Cordero, Eddie Arcaro and John Velazquez once rode.
The day before the Aqueduct finale, the Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs was billed as the race of the year. When the race has the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio and the 2026 Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude, it is hard to argue with the billing.
But when it was over, it was all about the first two finishers from the 2025 Pa. Derby as they dominated the race, with the Ky. Derby and BC Classic winners left in their wake. Magnitude announced himself on Feb. 15, 2025 when he won the Risen Star by 9 3/4 lengths at 43-1 with a 108 Beyer. Unfortunately, the colt came out of the race with an injury and missed the Triple Crown.
Magnitude came back with four triple-digit Beyers in five starts, but blew up when he beat the legend that is Forever Young in the Dubai World Cup. After leading all the way to win the Foster, Magnitude confirmed that performance with a 114 Beyer. The now 4-year-old colt went the mile and an eighth in 1:48.03, 2.48 seconds faster than the good 4-year-old filly Immersive went while winning the Fleur de Lis two hours before.
Magnitude and Baeza switched spots from that day at Parx, but the Pa. Derby winner was no less impressive when finishing second Saturday, 1 1/4 lengths behind Magnitude. Baeza completely missed the break, but made a giant rally to get back into the race. That he was able to comfortably pass his now stablemate Sovereignty in the stretch told a small story inside a bigger story. Baeza just was not ready when he finished behind Sovereignty in the Derby, Belmont and Jim Dandy last year. Well, Baeza is ready now and got a career-best 112 Beyer.
Sovereignty did not run poorly. In fact, the colt got a 106 Beyer, the third highest of his career behind his Belmont and Travers wins. He just wasn’t fast enough to hang with Magnitude and Baeza who have clearly improved as 4-year-olds after playing catch-up last year.
Magnitude, with wins in the Razorback, World Cup and Foster, is the leader for Horse of the Year after the first half of the year. Can’t wait for races like the Whitney, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Classic that will settle the issue.
If Magnitude does indeed win Horse of the Year, it will be the fifth time in the last 20 years trainer Steve Asmussen has had the H/Y in his barn (Curlin twice, Rachel Alexandra and Gun Runner).
Speaking of Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, the parallels with Magnitude are hard to ignore. The difference is that Gun Runner never got hurt and was able to run in the major 3-year-old races of 2016. Like Magnitude, he was second in the Pa. Derby, won the Clark and Razorback. He was second in the World Cup only because Arrogate gave the most amazing performance of the 21st Century.
Then, Gun Runner finished off his Hall of Fame career with wins in the Foster, Whitney, Woodward, BC Classic and Pegasus World Cup. His Beyers from the Clark to the Pegasus: 111, 110, 110, 112, 115, 117 and 120. If Magnitude can come close to duplicating that run, the colt could very well become the next Pennsylvania Derby runner with a spot in the Hall of Fame someday.
