Hot Rod Charlie Outbattles Midnight Bourbon in PA Derby

[Wandering Eyes]

For the second straight time, HOT ROD CHARLIE (c, 3, Oxbow–Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie) crossed the line first in a major 3-year-old Grade I event, but unlike last time in the TVG.com Haskell Invitational S., he was allowed to keep the victory in the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Saturday afternoon, surviving yet another stewards' inquiry and jockey's objection in the process. Sent off the 4-5 chalk ahead of GI Runhappy Travers S. runner-up Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), whom he interfered with in the Haskell, ultimately leading to his disqualification, Hot Rod Charlie showed the most initiative and set a fairly comfortable pace of :47 for the opening half-mile while prompted by Midnight Bourbon. They picked up the tempo through a strong internal quarter-mile in :23 3/5 from the five-eighths to the three-eighths and by the time they hit the quarter pole, it was a race that was down to just two. Hot Rod Charlie, perhaps still an unfinished product even at this late stage of his sophomore campaign, bore out significantly in upper stretch, causing Midnight Bourbon to shift his ground, but Hot Rod Charlie was doing the better work, despite swapping his leads back and forth through the final furlong, and raced away to a richly deserved Grade I tally.

Saturday, Parx Racing
PENNSYLVANIA DERBY-GI, $1,000,000, Parx Racing, 9-25, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:48.63, ft.
1–HOT ROD CHARLIE, 124, c, 3, by Oxbow
               1st Dam: Indian Miss, by Indian Charlie
               2nd Dam: Glacken's Gal, by Smoke Glacken
               3rd Dam: Lady Diplomat, by Silver Deputy
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($17,000 Ylg '19 FTKFEB; $110,000 Ylg
'19 FTKOCT). O-Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable (Antony
Beck), Roadrunner Racing & William Strauss; B-Edward A.
Cox (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill; J-Flavien Prat. $573,000.
Lifetime Record: 11-3-2-3, $2,171,200. *1/2 to Mitole
(Eskendereya), Ch. Male Sprinter, MGISW, $3,104,910.
Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross
pedigree.
2–Midnight Bourbon, 124, c, 3, Tiznow–Catch the Moon, by
Malibu Moon. ($525,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Winchell
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings
LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $191,000.
3–Americanrevolution, 122, c, 3, Constitution–Polly Freeze,
by Super Saver. ($275,000 Ylg '19 SARAUG). O-CHC Inc. &
WinStar Farm LLC; B-Fred W. Hertrich III & John D. Fielding
(NY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $95,500.
Margins: 2 1/4, 4HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.90, 3.70, 8.40.
Also Ran: Fulsome, Bourbonic, Speaker's Corner, I Am Redeemed, Weyburn. Scratched: Keepmeinmind, Medina Spirit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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