2025 Pennsylvania Derby | 7 Historical Angles Reveal the Top Contenders Seven powerful historical angles — drawn from 25 years of Pennsylvania Derby data — hold the key to understanding which 3-year-olds are primed for glory in this $1 million showdown at Parx. I’ve crunched 25 years of data and identified 7 historical angles that have pointed to past winners — and I am using them to separate the pretenders from the contenders in one of the biggest 3-year-old race of the fall.

This 1 1/8-mile dirt showdown on September 20, 2025 has it all: pace players, strong contenders, and a few major question marks. Get ready — I am going horse by horse to help you find your winner!

🐎 Horse-by-Horse Analysis

1️⃣ So Sandy (Cherie DeVaux / Kendrick Carmouche) – Colt with two sharp runs at this distance (1 win, 1 place). Improving form but hasn’t cracked triple-digit speed figures yet. Rail draw may not be ideal for him, and those bumping incidents raise some eyebrows.

2️⃣ Altobelli (James Nicholson Jr. / Angel Castillo) – 15-start veteran with 4 wins (mostly on synthetic). No graded stakes, no proven stamina at 1⅛, no triple-digit speed figs.

3️⃣ Magnitude (Steve Asmussen / Ben Curtis) – The field’s top speed horse from his gate-to-wire Risen Star romp. Missed the Triple Crown trail with an ankle chip but came back blazing in the Iowa Derby. Ran third in the Travers behind Sovereignty. Can he control the pace here? If he does — earthquake incoming?

4️⃣ David of Athens (Brendan Walsh / Tyler Gaffalione) – Lightly raced but talented. Two wins in three starts including a runaway mile score at Ellis. Still developing and has bullet workouts, but lacks graded stakes experience.

5️⃣ Happily Delusional (Louis Linder Jr. / Paco Lopez) – Local Parx horse with one win in 11 starts. No horse with Parx experience has won the PA Derby in 25 years, and his speed figs say he’s up against it.

6️⃣ Goal Oriented (Bob Baffert / Irad Ortiz Jr.) – The “Baffert Factor” is alive. Two wins in four starts and a strong speed fig in the Haskell. Has been bested by Gosger twice — can he turn the tables? Fresh, well-drawn, and dangerous.

7️⃣ Big Truzz (Brian Lynch / Javier Castellano) – Improving colt with a monster Ellis Park Derby win. Needs to prove he can get 1⅛, but pedigree (by Justify) suggests yes.

8️⃣ Baeza (John Shirreffs / Hector Berrios) – The most battle-tested runner here. Hit the board in the Derby, Belmont, and Jim Dandy — all behind Sovereignty and Journalism. Without those two monsters in the gate, he might finally get his Grade 1.

9️⃣ Gosger (Brendan Walsh / Luis Saez) – Always in the exacta and coming off strong seconds in the Preakness and Haskell. Bullet workout on Sept 12.

🔟 Mo Plex (Jeremiah Englehart / Joseph Ramos) – 5 wins from 9 starts is impressive, but low speed figs and a weakening 4th in the Jim Dandy raise concerns. Needs a career-best to win from this outside post.

📌 Race Details:

📅 Date: September 20, 2025

📍 Track: Parx Racing (Bensalem, PA)

🏆 Purse: $1,000,000

📏 Distance: 1 1/8 Miles (Dirt)

🐎 Eligibility: 3-Year-Olds

🔔 Like | Subscribe | Hype:If this analysis helped you, smash that 👍 button, subscribe for Breeders’ Cup + Kentucky Derby coverage, and hit the Hype button to boost this channel so I can keep bringing you premium horse racing analysis!

Tips are for informational purposes only Horse Betting is not legal in every state so if you are betting, make sure it is legal