Hustled to the lead by jockey Florent Geroux, Saudi Crown controlled the $1 million Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby from start to finish, outlasting a late-running Dreamlike to prevail by a half-length Sept. 23 at Parx Racing.

The winner raced 1 1/8 miles on a sloppy track in 1:50.62, following comfortably uncontested fractions of :23.16, :47.27 and 1:12.17. Though Dreamlike was cutting into his lead late, Saudi Crown appeared to have plenty left.

"He started looking around the last eighth of a mile," Geroux said. "His ears were flopping a little bit too much for my liking, but it was great.”

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Six lengths behind the runner-up, Il Miracolo edged Magic Tap by a neck in a show photo and then survived a claim of foul to finish third. Weakening to sixth in the 11-horse field after chasing the pace was Reincarnate, trained by four-time Pennsylvania Derby winner Bob Baffert.

Horseplayers were attracted to Saudi Crown even though he had never won a stakes race before Saturday. He was bet down from his 7-2 morning line to start at odds just above even money. He paid $4.20 to win as the favorite.

No doubt part of Saudi Crown's wagering appeal was his prior performance on a sloppy track when he nearly outlasted Forte in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes presented by DK Horse at Saratoga on July 29 before being caught by a nose on the wire by the reigning champion 2-year-old male. That race had followed another runner-up finish and nose defeat to Fort Bragg in the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at a mile at Belmont Park July 1. Before those starts, he had won a maiden and allowance race in Kentucky in fast times in his initial two starts.

Rather than pursue the 1 1/4-mile Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga after the Jim Dandy, trainer Brad Cox instead opted to await the Pennsylvania Derby, which figured to be the easier of the two Grade 1s and over a shorter distance.

Asked if he felt Saudi Crown is among the best horses in the sophomore division, Cox responded: "I think so. He has been there. He needed a breakthrough performance and I think he is one of the top 3-year-olds in the country."

Though not part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series Win and You're In program, the Pennsylvania Derby can propel horses toward the Breeders' Cup. Last year, Taiba won the 2022 Pennsylvania Derby before running third in the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic for Baffert, who in 2014 captured both the Pennsylvania Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic with Bayern.

Other Pennsylvania Derby competitors through the years have cut back to pursue the shorter, $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, though Cox appears to favor the longer 1 1/4-mile Classic. Both races are Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

"Based off the pedigree, by a Derby winner out of a Tapit mare, with his physical deal, he could handle the mile and a quarter," Cox said. "Obviously, you have to get the right setup. I am not sure he has to have the lead in order to win. He is a pretty kind horse who breaks well.

"I will tell you this," Cox said. "With his Saudi-based ownership group (FMQ Stables), I think the (2024) Saudi Cup is one race that is definitely on the target."

Ceiling Crusher Leads All the Way to Win $1 million Cotillion Stakes

California-bred Ceiling Crusher stole the show in a gate-to-wire effort under jockey Edwin Maldonado, fending off late rallies by Pretty Mischievous and Occult to win the $1 million Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles Sept. 23 at Parx Racing.

It seems only fitting that the first Grade 1 race ever called by a woman was won by a horse named Ceiling Crusher. As 37-year-old Parx Racing announcer Jessica Paquette transgressed archaic boundaries with a history-making race call.

Prior to the Cotillion, the California-bred Ceiling Crusher had been simply sensational in the Golden State. The fleet-footed filly had demolished state-breds in four of her five starts before handling open company for the first time in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Sept. 2. After that effort, her connections decided to ship Ceiling Crusher cross country for a swing at the big dance in the $1 million Cotillion.

Ceiling Crusher beats Pretty Mischeivous to win Cotillion. (Tim Sudduth/Eclipse Sportswire)

Trainer Doug O'Neill is no stranger to exceptional California-breds, having trained Lava Man, a Hall of Famer and the leading California-bred earner of all time.

"(Ceiling Crusher) brought everything that she was showing us back home on the road," O'Neill said. "You never know. We had the great Lava Man, who did so many wonderful things in the state of California but could never take it outside of California. You never know until you pack your bags, and they have to stay in a hotel room and be away from home."

Facing a track sodden from Tropical Storm Ophelia, Ceiling Crusher skipped to the front under jockey Edwin Maldonado and cruised through opening fractions of :23.31 and :47.64 while under mild pressure from longshot Majestic Creed. Once that rival retreated at the six-furlong marker, Ceiling Crusher began to widen her advantage as Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous began to advance between rivals turning for home.

Pretty Mischievous' bid came too late, as Ceiling Crusher rocketed into a high gear putting 2 1/2 lengths between herself and the field midway down the lane. Pretty Mischievous closed but wasn't closing fast enough as Ceiling Crusher held firmly to the wire, prevailing by a half-length on the line.

"She was kind of resenting the track for the first quarter of a mile, but once she switched leads down the backside she was in a little better position," Jockey Tyler Gaffalione said of Pretty Mischievous. "The winner just had the jump on us today."

Impressive Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks winner Occult, last of nine early, rallied belatedly to get up for third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Pretty Mischievous.

Ceiling Crusher ($3.30) clocked the 1 1/16 miles over the sloppy (sealed) track in 1:45.69.

"The question was if she could handle (the 1 1/16 miles)," Maldonado said. "We just let her kick on and do her thing. She's been running short and taking the lead sprinting, so I just needed a good break, and we got a good break. The rest was her."

Ceiling Crusher bumped her bankroll to $938,400. She sports a 6-0-1 record from seven starts. O'Neill didn't rule out the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Santa Anita for his newest Grade 1 winning trainee, although she is not Breeders' Cup nominated.

O'Neill said, "This was our Breeders' Cup. We looked at this on the calendar months ago and the fact that is coming true ... this was our Breeders' Cup today." -- Molly Rollins