By Dick Jerardi
It was a very nice Saturday for Parx-based horses at the Maryland Million. It could be a very nice Saturday at the Breeders’ Cup for horses with a Pennsylvania Derby Day/Parx connection.
Neither Kerness K nor Takethemoneyhoney were any kind of a secret at Laurel Park in their Maryland Million Day races. How could they be? Kerness K had won 10 straight races. Takethemoneyhoney was three noses from being unbeaten in her 10 career starts.
Kerness K, trained by Jamie Ness and owned by Ness’s Jagger, Inc. and Morris Kernan (thus the name), was in against 10 other horses in race 3, a $50,000 starter handicap. But the horse really was racing against the overwhelming expectation that he would win his 11th straight.
Kerness K, bet down to 3-10, did not disappoint. Always within striking distance in the 7-furlong race under regular rider Martin Chuan, who has ridden him in his last five races, Kerness K cruised to the lead in the stretch and won by a comfortable 1 1/2lengths over 66-1 Cap Con, the jockey saying afterward he was saving something for the Claiming Crown in 3 weeks at Churchill Downs.
Takethemoneyhoney, owned by Kasey K Racing Stable, Michael Day and Final Turn Racing Stable, had not raced since March 7. No matter. Trainer Michael Moore was quite confident when entries came out that he had the best horse in the race. He was clearly correct. In race 7, the $100,000 Distaff at 7 furlongs, Takethemoneyhoney took 100 yards or so to make the front, got some pressure and then ran away from her overmatched foes in the stretch, winning by 5 1/2 lengths under regular rider Eliseo Ruiz, who has ridden her in every race but her debut.
The 4-year-old gelding, Kerness K, ran the distance in 1:23.25, the 5-year-old mare Takethemoneyhoney got it in 1:23.87. They have different running styles, but they wind up in the same place in the end, the winner’s circle. Maybe, Parx can put up a special race in December with both of them in there to see which is better.
Pennsylvania Derby Day alums will be represented in four races on Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Keeneland.
Pennsylvania Derby winner The Puma, who ran the race of his life after getting blinkers for the first time, will be in a powerhouse $7 million Classic that has the defending Classic champion and two-time Saudi Cup winner (Forever Young), the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner (Sovereignty), the 2026 Derby and Belmont winner (Golden Tempo) and the 2026 Dubai World Cup winner and 2025 Pa. Derby runner-up (Magnitude). Those four horses have combined to earn an insane $53.5 million, led by Forever Young’s record $32.3 million. Add in Pacific Classic winner Knightsbridge, Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and longshot T O Password from Japan and you have an all-time great field.
Pa. Derby runner-up Further Ado was pre-entered in the Classic and Dirt Mile. On Monday, his connections opted to avoid the Classic monsters and will run in the Dirt Mile. Further Ado will be joined in that race by Bracket Buster, an unlucky second (when trapped on the far turn) in the Parx Dirt Mile.
Cotillion third-place finisher Measure is in the Distaff against another stacked field that includes her stablemate Nitrogen, Fully Subscribed and Splendora. Those three have raced a combined 44 times and been out of the money exactly twice.
Gallant Bob winner Stradale goes in the Sprint against a star-studded field that includes the fastest sprinter in America (Englishman) and Japan (T O Elvis). Gallant Bob runner-up Dr. Kapur came back to win the Oct. 17 Perryville at Keeneland.
It’s been a few years since a Parx-based horse was a Breeders’ Cup factor, but the track will always have 2018, 2019 and 2020 when Jaywalk won the Juvenile Fillies, Spun to Run the Dirt Mile and Vequist the Juvenile Fillies.
Pa. Derby Day alums have had a major impact on the Breeders’ Cup. Pa. Derby winner Bayern came right back to win the 2014 Classic. Pa. Derby winner Will Take Charge just missed in the 2013 Classic.
Cotillion winners Ashado, Untapable and Thorpedo Anna each won the Distaff. Songbird won the Cotillion and just missed against Beholder in a legendary 2016 Distaff renewal.
Gallant Bob winner Bentornato ran second in the 2024 Sprint before winning it last year. Gallant Bob runner-up Trinniberg won the 2012 Sprint in his next start.
Neither Kerness K or Takethemoneyhoney, as good as they are, are quite good enough for the Breeders’ Cup. Their connections know it which is why they keep putting them in spots where they can win. So no Parx-based horses in this Breeders’ Cup, but more than enough Parx adopted horses to make for rooting interests Saturday.
