Classic Winner Seize the Grey Tops Pennsylvania Derby

The last three months have been rough on the 3-year-old colt Seize the Grey . But three months do not a year make.

“Anytime you win a classic, I’d say that’s a very good year,” said Seize the Grey’s wise, 89-year-old Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Lukas makes a compelling case. Even though Seize the Grey was unplaced in his last two starts, back on May 18 he gave his 2,570 My RaceHorse microshare owners an unforgettable thrill when he won the Preakness Stakes (G1) by 2 1/4 lengths in front-running fashion.

Fate swung in a different direction for the Gainesway-bound stallion prospect’s next two starts. The Pat Day Mile (G2) winner finished seventh in the Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and then, most recently, was fourth, beaten a dozen lengths, in the July 27 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), also at the Spa.

Later this week, the winner of the middle jewel of the Triple Crown will get a chance to relive his glory at Pimlico Race Course when he tries to regain his winning form Sept. 21 in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing, the last grade 1 of the year on dirt restricted to 3-year-olds.

“He worked out strongly for the race and he’s coming into the race in top shape. I don’t think we have any excuses,” Lukas said.

Lukas said a stomach ache may have hampered the son of Arrogate in the Jim Dandy, where the speedster was never better than fourth at any call. He offered no excuse for the Belmont, when Seize the Grey led in the early stages but faltered, except for one common element.

“He may not have had an affinity for the Saratoga racetrack,” Lukas said. “I don’t like to make excuses, so I think it was Saratoga, and we’ll run again and try to get our form back at Parx.”

The main challenger for the classic winner on paper and in the shape of the race figures to be Juddmonte’s Dragoon Guard , who is also an Arrogate colt and looms as Seize the Grey’s main rival on the front end.

Photo: Coady Media/Renee Torbit

Dragoon Guard wins the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer

Trained by Brad Cox, Dragoon Guard was second in his career debut and then reeled off four straights wins, capped by front-running victories in the West Virginia Derby (G3) and the Indiana Derby (G3).

“He’s a big horse, like his sire. He was gangly early on, and he’s started to gradually put it all together,” said Garrett O’Rourke, general manager of Juddmonte USA, which raced Arrogate, the late $17.4 million earner. “I guess on Saturday we’ll find out if he can somewhat approximate his dad. This is a big step up for him.”

Dragoon Guard won the Aug. 4 West Virginia Derby by 2 3/4 lengths at the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Pennsylvania Derby. Prior to that he scored by 2 1/2 lengths in the 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby over Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner and fellow Pennsylvania Derby entrant Stronghold .

Though Dragoon Guard led throughout his last three starts, O’Rourke said with speedster Seize the Grey breaking from post 2, Dragoon Guard can sit just off the pace from post 7.

Perseverance played a big role in getting Dragoon Guard to Parx. Aside from allowing him to slowly climb the class ladder, he is the product of a third mating between Arrogate and the Mizzen Mast mare Filimbi. The first two produced Calloway Peak and Auden , who are a combined 2-for-34 in their racing careers.

“We bred that mare to Arrogate twice before, and the old masters will tell you if you believe in a cross, you have to try it three times. By the time the first two ran, I started to lose faith until (Dragoon Guard) came around,” O’Rourke said.

Among the local contingent in the field of 11 is Milam Racing Stable and LC Racing’s graded stakes winner Uncle Heavy . Winner of the Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack for trainer Butch Reid, the Parx-based son of Social Inclusion was fifth in the Wood Memorial (G2) after breaking from post 12 and sixth in the Preakness on a muddy track. He was then fifth in the Ohio Derby (G3).

Back at his home base of Parx, he is coming off a third in the Aug. 24 Smarty Jones Stakes, when he finished third behind a slow early pace.

“He’s coming around,” Reid said. “We’ve been disappointed lately, but he is a big, strong horse. We’re finding out he has to have things go his way, but he’ll be very competitive in this field. He put in a nice breeze for this race and we’re real happy with the way he is coming into it. It will be nice to walk out of his stall for a big race instead of shipping out for it.”

Branjam Stable and Dave Clark’s Just Step On It (Accelerate ), second in the Smarty Jones for trainer Louis Linder, is also entered in Saturday’s race. So is Klaravich Stables’ Unmatched Wisdom (Cairo Prince ), winner of the Curlin Stakes for trainer Chad Brown who suffered his lone loss in four career starts in the Travers Stakes (G1).