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The 2016 Pennsylvania Derby (G2) will be run for an enhanced total purse of $1,250,000. An extra quarter million dollars will be added if Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner, and the Preakness first place finisher,Exaggerator, both start in the race. An unexpected full field of twelve three-year-olds was drawn to contest the nine-furlong stake at Parx Racing.

The owner and trainer of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont Stakes, Haskell, and Travers winners are eligible for a $50,000 appearance bonus. Therefore, the connections of Nyquist receive a total of $100,000, while Exaggerator's connections receive $200,000 if they start.

With Nyquist and Exaggerator renewing their rivalry, the Pennsylvania Derby could have significant implications in this division’s year-end championship. Nyquist dominated the first five months when he continued his unbeaten career with a win in California, the Florida Derby, and then the biggest victory of all in the Kentucky Derby. Twice, in that time, he beat Exaggerator. However, Nyquist has not found the winner’s circle since then, while falling short in the Preakness and the Haskell. Exaggerator has been the division leader since then. In that time he defeated Nyquist two times in the Preakness and the Haskell.  A win for either of them would give that horse a secure spot on top of the divisional race.

The field of twelve appears to have an interesting pace scenario with a number of horses that like to run on or close to the lead. One thing seems certain is that with the quality of this PA Derby field the race will finally achieve grade one status in 2017. Carded as race 11, the scheduled post time is 5:45pm ET.

Awesome Slew [ML 12-1, Paco Lopez] This Eddie Plesa trainee proved that Parx is a track to his liking when he crushed a field of a field of fourteen by seven lengths in the Smarty Jones (G3). He will no doubt be running on the lead early with his rail draw. Rider Paco Lopez is at his best with horses on the lead, but they will not be the only ones running fast early. Major Early Pace Factor

Exaggerator [ML 7-2, Kent Desormeaux] The early weather reports for Bensalem, PA, say that rain is unlikely and thus a FAST track should be expected at Parx. At this point, it is hard to deny that Exaggerator is at his best on a wet track and that you have to go all the way back to last year to find his first two career wins that happened on a dry track. The inside draw will make it easy for Desormeaux to save ground early in the race as he often wants to do. The expected hot early pace should set up for Exaggerator’s big closing move. Perfect Set-up Expected

Summer Revolution [ML 20-1, Mike Smith] This lightly raced son of Summer Bird gets Mike Smith in the saddle after Castellano opted to ride Connect. Expect this colt to be on or near the lead and help ensure a hot early pace. Distance limitations and a lack of experience have this one up against it. Early Speed

Connect [ML 12-1, Javier Castellano] In the Travers, Connect was a well-beaten sixth place finisher, but every horse was crushed when Arrogate blitzed that field. In the Curlin at Saratoga, Connect was impressive when he outdueled Gift Box. This is another that has done his best running close to the front, and with lots of speed inside of him, Castellano may be forced to work out a stalking or closing trip. Not Out of It

Cupid [ML 9-2, Rafael Bejarano] Of all the top contenders, Cupid is in top form right now. After a bad performance in the Easy Goer, trainer Bob Baffert got Cupid right and he recorded two big wins in mid-major Derbies in Indiana and West Virginia. Bejarano was the rider in both of those wins, when he had everything his way on the front end. He will have company on the lead, but may be a lot better than the other speed horses. I hope that Bejarano sits just behind the others and gets the jump on the rest of the field. Threat to Win

Wild About Deb [ML 30-1, Tiago Pereira] This one has been stabled at Parx since a recent trainer change to Ramon Preciado. He ran second to Awesome Slew in the Smarty Jones well ahead of the next runner. He has just a maiden victory on the west coast to his credit. Long Shot

Gun Runner [ML 6-1, Florent Geroux]Except for his poor performance on the sloppy track in the Haskell, Gun Runner has yet to run a bad race. His stalking style fits perfectly considering the anticipated hot pace. He ran well in the Travers behind the Baffert duo when the ten furlongs was clearly not his forte. I expect this Steve Asmussen runner to make his usual strong effort down the stretch. Top Three Finish Expected

My Man Sam [ML 20-1, Julien Leparoux] This Chad Brown runner was a surprise addition to the field. With only a maiden win, he has been a bit of a disappointment since his big closing move to get second in the Blue Grass. I don’t know if he has the quality to win a race like this, but he certainly will have the set-up to make a late run. Pass Some Tired Horses

Nyquist [ML 5-2, Mario Guitierrez]No doubt that Nyquist is the horse to beat, but there are lots of questions that the Two-year-old Champion has to answer. Trainer Doug O’Neill has changed things up since Nyquist lost in the Preakness and Haskell taking him to train off track. O’Neill says Nyquist has grown and he has been working him over long distances. The move off track raises red flags for me, but I may be wrong. With so much speed to his inside, jockey Mario Gutierrez may have no alterative but to come from off the pace with Nyquist. That could turn out to be a good thing if the rider can remain patient. The One to Beat

Sunny Ridge [ML 15-1, Joe Bravo]Sunny Ridge is a bit of a mystery horse. His racing schedule has been spotty and he has just one slow five-furlong work since the Haskell. He has never run a bad race including his third place finish in the Haskell. This is very tough spot with the seeming laid-back training methods of Jason Servis. Top Four Possible

Discreet Lover [ML 30-1, Jose Flores] Another Parx based runner, but this one seems to be out of his league here. Eleven of his career sixteen starts have come at Parx including his two wins. Don’t Expect Much

Hit It Once More [ML 20-1, Kendrick Carmouche] This New York-bred likes to run on the lead, so the far outside draw was the worst possible scenario. He has won two straight state restricted stakes for trainer Gary Sciacca, but this grade one is a very unlikely spot for success. Out Classed