Two prominent older horses met differing fates as 3-10 favorites on Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby Day undercard at Parx.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Gunite had to settle for second when overtaken late by 6-1 chance Nimitz Class in the $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile, while Next splashed to a lopsided 25-length victory in the $200,000 Greenwood Cup (G3) over 1 1/2 miles.
Over a very sloppy track caused by remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia, which forced the cancellation of racing at nearly other track in the northeast on Saturday, Nimitz Class continued showing his recent strong form by outstaying Gunite. The latter, exiting a win in the Forego (G1), is now 0-for-3 in races beyond seven furlongs, though remains on target for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Santa Anita in November.
Nimitz Class prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths under Paco Lopez and paid $15 after completing one lap of Parx in 1:38.34. Gunite had 4 1/4 lengths on the third-place Mish.
Owned by Thomas Coulter and trained by Bruce Kravets, Nimitz Class has now won 11 of 20 starts. The victory was the four-year-old’s sixth career stakes win and snapped a string of three second-place finishes. Four of his previous stakes wins had come against open company at Laurel and the other in a Penn National fixture restricted to Pennsylvania-breds.
Bred by Arrowwood Farm, Nimitz Class is by Munnings and out of stakes-winning Five Diamonds, a daughter of Flatter. Nimitz Class also has a stakes-winning full sister named Kaylasaurus.
Next led throughout in the Greenwood Cup under Luan Machado, extending his already insurmountable lead from five lengths to 25 through the final quarter-mile while racing well off the inside. In a close battle for second, My Imagination edged a tiring Ridin With Biden by a nose.
Owned by Michael Foster and trained by Doug Cowans, Next returned $2.60 after covering the three-turn race in 2:33.28.
The five-year-old Next has evolved into the country’s leading dirt marathoner, winning six of eight starts since being claimed by his present connections for $62,500 in April 2022. Concluding last season with a dominating win in the 1 5/8-mile Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G2) on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Keeneland, Next preceded this victory with scores in the 1 1/2-mile Brooklyn (G2) on Belmont Stakes Day and the 14-furlong Birdstone S. at Saratoga.
“At the beginning of the year there was a five-race plan for this horse and we have made every one,” said Cowans, who indicated a title defense in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Santa Anita on Nov. 4 would be next.
Bred in Kentucky by Silverton Hill, the gray gelding is by Not This Time and out of the multiple stakes-placed Bahia Beach, by Awesome Again. He’s now won nine of 19 starts and earned more than $915,000.
