A Three-Year-Old to Watch: Forty Tales

Add Forty Tales to the list of promising Todd Pletcher-trained three-year-olds of 2013. On Saturday afternoon at Parx Racing, the colt stamped himself as a runner of excellent quality when he drew off powerfully to win a six-furlong allowance race by three lengths.

Ridden to victory by John Bisono, Forty Tales broke a bit slowly, but quickly recovered to settle in fourth as Ore Pass, Silver Morgan, and Energetico dueled for the lead through quick fractions of :22 2/5 and :46 flat. As the field turned for home, Forty Tales shifted to the outside and set his sights on the tiring leaders, blowing past them in strong fashion to win the race going away. The final time was 1:10 4/5.

Silver Morgan out-dueled Energetico for second, while Captain Derek and Ore Pass completed the order of finish.

The winner is trained by Todd Pletcher and owned by Perretti Racing Stable. A son of Tale of the Cat out of the Forty Niner mare Forty Live, Forty Tales is now unbeaten in two starts.

-Keelerman

Well Spelled rallies late to win Gallant Bob Stakes

A third of the way through the six-furlong Gallant Bob Stakes, Well Spelled's chances of winning appeared to be small. After all, the 15-1 shot was nearly thirteen lengths behind the leaders and completely out of contact with the field.

But coming down to the finish, there was little doubt as to who the winner would be. Under strong urging from jockey Pablo Fragoso, Well Spelled rallied fast down the center of the Parx Racing homestretch to win the $300,000 sprint by a convincing half-length.

The early pacesetters were Private Zone and Il Villano, who exchanged the lead through blazing fractions of :21.41 and :43.95 while separated by little more than a head. Trinniberg was their closest pursuer, tracking just a half-length behind while three-wide. There was a gap of another length back to Jake N Elwood and Laurie's Rocket, with Currency Swap and Raging Daoust at the back of the main group. Well Spelled was, of course, the trailer by a substantial margin.

Turning into the homestretch, Trinniberg made a strong move to take command of the lead, quickly drawing clear of his fellow pacesetters to open up a sizable advantage. But Well Spelled was charging hard on the far outside, and wore down Trinniberg inside the sixteenth pole to win going away in 1:09.08 seconds.

Trinniberg finished 3 1/4 lengths clear of Private Zone, who defeated Il Villano by a head for the third spot. Laurie's Rocket, Raging Daoust, Currency Swap, and Jake N Elwood completed the order of finish.

Well Spelled is a son of Spellbinder out of Well, by Well Decorated. Trained by Benjamin Perkins Jr. and owned by GSP Racing Stable, Well Spelled has now compiled an exceptional record of 4-3-3 from 11 starts, with earnings of $347,260.

-Keelerman

Handsome Mike stuns Pennsylvania Derby rivals at 19-1

Sent off as the longest shot on the board at 19-1, it is clear that few people expected Handsome Mike to win the $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby (gr. II) this afternoon at Parx Racing. Yet in the end that is exactly what he did, holding off a late run from Macho Macho to pull off a surprising upset.

Ridden to victory by Irad Ortiz Jr., Handsome Mike got off to an excellent start and soon took command of the early lead while facing only mild pressure along the inside from Alpha. Golden Ticket, Csaba, Macho Macho, and Stephanoatsee were all up close as well in a very tight field, while Casual Trick was content to trail early by a substantial margin.

The early pace was very slow, with Handsome Mike running the opening quarter in :25, the half in :49 4/5, and three-quarters in 1:14 flat. But as the field made their way around the final turn and into the homestretch, things began to heat up. First, Csaba loomed boldly in the three path before retreating to finish last. Then Alpha made a run to challenge for the lead along the rail before flattening out. Next, Stephanoatsee loomed a menace along the inside before giving way as well. Finally, Golden Ticket and Macho Macho came running on the outside with Macho Macho eventually emerging the strongest challenge for the win. But while the son of Macho Uno did put in a good run, Handsome Mike already had the race sewn up, coasting home in front by two lengths to win the nine-furlong race in 1:51 3/5.

Golden Ticket out-finished Stephanoatsee for third, while Casual Trick, Alpha, and Csaba completed the order of finish.

The winner is a son of Scat Daddy out of the Smart Strike mare Classic Strike. Trained by Leandro Mora and owned by Reddam Racing, Handsome Mike has now won two of his eight ten starts, with one second and one third as well. He has accumulated earnings of $756,780.

-Keelerman