Plus Greenwood Cup, Turf Monster & Gallant Bob Stakes

Honor and Serve, right, with jockey Jose Lezcano on board, heads the finish line while running the Pennsylvania Derby horse race at Parx Racing, Saturday, September 24, 2011, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. To Honor and Serve won, Ruler on Ice finished second and Rattlesnake Bridge finished third. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)

• The Saturday Cotillion Stakes at PARX has a purse of $ 1 million
• The biggest racing day of the year in Pennsylvania features five tiered stakes races
• Where do we find the betting value on Saturday near Philadelphia?

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Give recognition to the people who run PARX. For most of the year, the route formerly known as Philadelphia Park, about 20 miles north of the city, is an afterthought for those following the top thoroughbreds. On Saturday they are the top dogs and all eyes will be on them.

Owners, coaches and jockeys from across the country come to the City of Brotherly Love this weekend as PARX has two $ 1 million worth of races and three other rated stakes. While the Pennsylvania Derby is the main event, a potential preparation for the Breeders Cup Classic, the Cotillion Stakes have an equally sturdy wallet, and each of the five races is an important step on the road to the Breeders Cup.

The cotillion is a competitive event with eight three-year-old mares going into battle. A prize is certainly possible, although the favorite Clairiere consistently competes against the best of the best.

Let’s take a close look at the cotillion, briefly look at the other bets, and see where we can find the bet value.

Odds for cotillion stakes 2021

September 25th odds

The cotillion is a sixteenth mile long event on the main aisle. Conducted since 1969, six Eclipse award winners have attended the event. Shuvee, Susan’s Girl, Revidere, Ashado, Havre de Grace and Untapable have all taken wins in the cotillion in honor of the year-end.

TVG has to report about PARX on television all day on Saturday. The cotillion is scheduled to begin at 5:02 p.m. ET.

Let’s take a close look at some of the betting options.

favourite

Clairiere has only won twice in eight starts, hasn’t finished first since February and sometimes falls too far behind to make up enough ground. Nevertheless, she competes against the front runners and has fallen behind twice against Malathaat and once against Travel Column since her last win.

Last time she took a stable first turn and still just missed Malathaat. That makes Clairiere a reasonable favorite in this race.

Competitors

Army Wife landed just behind Clairiere in The Alabama. She entered this race after winning successive tiered bets.

Your victories are not against the top competition, but they are impressive. She is reunited in this race with jockey Joel Rosario, the two of whom are at Army Wife

It’s not crazy to look at the field and wonder if Always Carina could be loose at the top. Controlling speed is very dangerous and there is no doubt that John Velazquez will take the lead with Always Carina.

Coach Chad Brown isn’t sure Always Carina wants two-lap races, but she finished second in the Mother Goose Stakes on her only attempt. She has two wins and a second in three résumés.

Long shots

Maracuja shocked Malathaat in Saratoga in July.

After finishing seventh at the Kentucky Oaks and then winning the CCA Oaks, she slowly got away and was not a factor against Malathaat, Clairiere and Army Wife in August. Did she just run a brilliant race or can we excuse the last tedious effort?

To like Obligatory, like passion fruit, you have to kick out their last race. She bobbled at the start of the Test Stake and never got into the serious running. Now she’s second after a break and things went well before the break.

After winning the 8Belles, she narrowly missed the Acorn Stakes search results. Repeating these two attempts will get them into the mix for a good price.

Cotillion places the best bet

Clairiere is the most likely winner, but Always Carina and Obligatory prizes are too juicy to pass up. Both have very reasonable shots and offer significant value. Since Always Carina will be ahead without too much pressure, she has the easiest path to victory.

The choice: Always Carina (+600)

Other rated races at PARX Saturday

In addition to the two $ 1 million events, the $ 200,000 Grade 3 Greenwood Cup is a boy’s marathon starting at 3:20 p.m. ET, and the $ 500,000 Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes is a grass sprint starting at 3:51 p.m. and the Grade 2 Gallant Bob Stakes is a $ 300,000 event for three year old boys sprinting on the main course, scheduled for 4:22 pm.

Greenwood Cup

Moretti has not won for over a year, but has to face the top competition. He enjoys running long distances, and something similar to his efforts in the Suburban Stakes back in July could do the job on this one.

Moretti should be up front early on, but how close?

Sea Foam is untested at extreme distances but has high speed. A winner of two straights and four out of six, he will be at the top, but will stretch out and take on horses tougher than normal.

Math Wizard may go a little further than he is used to, but is one on one at PARX, is the second after a layoff and can keep up with this competition.

Selection: Moretti

Lawn monster missions

This is a tough race with lots of options, but it’s girl versus guys who is the favorite. Bobby Flays Caravel has won seven out of ten races for life, including a grade 3 in Saratoga in July.

She tried boys last time at Woodbine and finished third as a favorite.

Firecrow has run 14 times but only three are grass races. She hasn’t run since May but looked great beating a solid group on the Pimlico turf on Preakness Day.

Firecrow is working very well and should be in the lead on Saturday.

Carotari took a strong second place against top horses in Saratoga in August. She has six life wins, and five are on the five-foot distance these horses will run this weekend.

Selection: carotari

Gallant bob stakes

Jackie’s Warrior defeated Life Is Good last time in one of the best races of the year. The Allen Jerkens Stakes in Saratoga were a close finish in a fast time with two ultra-tough opponents.

The winner of seven out of ten career attempts, Jackie’s Warrior has never lost a one-turn race. He has two class 1 wins and three class 2 wins on his resume.

Beren has won four of his last five and coach Robert Reid said he could try to judge speed in a race much earlier, especially at Jackie’s Warrior. Being in close proximity to Jackie and being able to get the first run on him could be effective when he’s running out of much in the tank. However, Beren has only attempted a tiered competition once and finished fourth in a five-horse field in New York in April.

Like Beren, Real Talk is taking a serious step up in class. He won two out of three and was impressive the last time he blew away a stakes field in Monmouth Park. That means this is his first Ranked Stakes Race.

Tip: Jackie’s warriors