By Dick Jerardi
Some years, the votes in most of the categories for the Parx Horsemen’s Awards are relatively easy. Other years, it is a bit more complicated. For me, 2025 was more complicated
I went with Angie’s Reward for top 2-year-old filly, but the best performance I saw was River Escape breaking her maiden in her debut with an incredible mid-race move.
But River Escape did not race again, so Angie’s Reward, who won the Miss Behaviour for trainer Brandon Kulp and was never worse than third in four starts, got my vote.
Mailata was an easy choice for the top 2-year-old male. The colt, trained by Butch Reid, dominated the Pennsylvania Nursery and Future Stars. I was shocked by how poorly he ran in last Friday’s Withers, but in 2025, there was no doubt about the best 2-year-old to race at Parx.
Kappa Kappa was highly touted from the start. And she more than lived up to the expectations. She was unbeaten in three sprint races and won the biggest race all year by any horse that was a Parx regular. She was 27-1 in the Grade II Raven Run at Keeneland. The filly was in front from the start, got passed, and came again to win for trainer Butch Reid. This was not one of those complicated categories. Kappa Kappa was the best Parx 3-year-old filly.
In another year, it could have been the Lou Lindert-trained Ourdaydreaminggirl who was a sensational third in the Grade I Cotillion at 42-1.
The 3-year-old male category was very confusing for me. There just was not a standout, I ended up going with Beyondexpectations on consistency. He started six times with two wins and four seconds. It would have been three wins had he not been disqualified from a stakes win on the day before Pennsylvania Derby Day.
Butch Reid trains Beyondexpectations so if you are sensing a theme, that is my third Reid-trained horse that got my vote. It really should come as no surprise as Reid, among all Parx trainers, has had the most stakes caliber horses in his barn for several years now.
I chose the super cool Alani over Carmelina (Reid again) for top older female. She was a multi stakes winner last year. She ran 13 times with six wins, four seconds, a third, and earnings of $332,400. Trainer Michael Moore excels with all types of horses, but, in recent years, it seems as if he has been even more successful with these stakes fillies.
Carmelina had another solid year and has not gone past $500,000 in career earnings. Her win in the Unique Bella showed her at her very best.
Older male was a match race for me, with Buccherino and Maximus Meridius (Reid), head and head in my brain. Each raced eight times with four wins and two seconds. MM won a stakes early in the year at Aqueduct. Buccherino, trained by Parx Hall of Famer Alfredo Velazquez, won two stakes at Park and another at Monmouth Park. His win in the Parx Sprint on Pennsylvania Derby Day was one of the most popular of the year and was enough to send me in the direction of Buccherino.
It is an eclectic group of nominees for top claiming horse. I went around and around before settling on Harp’s Hot Corner. He did his best running for top trainer Jamie Ness, but fired hard no matter the barn as demonstrated by five wins and eight in the money finishes from 12 starts.
Michael Pino got my vote as Trainer of the Year. This award is not based on statistics, but “rather, overall accomplishments or special achievements.’’ Pino, who started really hot in the winter months and stayed hot most of the year, had a very special 2025. He won 94 races at Parx and finished a strong second in the standings behind Ness. He won 35 fewer races than Ness with 221 fewer starters.
Parx Horse of the Year came down to Kappa Kappa and Alani for me. I will be fascinated to see what all the voters decide as nothing is obvious here. I went with Kappa Kappa because of that brilliant win in the Raven Run. And I can’t wait to see what she might do in 2026.
