FURTHER ADO - Matt Winn Stakes 2026 - Carson Blevins for Agentes 305
n six of his last seven races, Further Ado has gone off as the betting favorite.
That trend is likely to continue Saturday when the son of Gun Runner figures to be the one to beat in the $1 million, Grade 1, betPARX Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
Trained by Brad Cox and owned by Spendthrift Farm, Further Ado was installed as the 2-1 favorite on the morning line by Parx’s Director of Racing and Racing Secretary David Osojnak
In four of the seven races he has been the betting choice, Further Ado has won, some of them convincingly.
Witness: An 11-length romp in the Grade 1 Blue Grass April 4 at Keeneland Race Course and a 2-length victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn June 7 at Churchill Downs. He also broke his maiden by 20 lengths at Keeneland last October.
He has also thrown in some clunkers when sent off as the people’s choice. He was the tepid 5-1 choice in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and finished 11th. Most recently, he was the even-money choice in the Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park and was a non-threatening fifth.
“We were super confident he would run well at Monmouth, and we didn’t,” Cox said. “We don’t like to make excuses … it was a sloppy track, he lost a shoe … it just didn’t work out for him.”
When he is right, Further Ado can be absolutely dominating. And Cox says he has Further Ado right as he heads to the Pennsylvania Derby. He has been training at Churchill Downs since the Haskell and is doing everything the right way.
In his career, Further Ado has four wins, a second and a third in nine starts. All four of his wins have come in Kentucky – two at Keenland and two at Churchill. His best race outside of the Bluegrass State was a second in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby, where he finished 2 lengths behind Pennsylvania Derby rival The Puma.
“People might say he is not consistent,” Cox said. “He ran a great race at Tampa off a layoff, and he won the Blue Grass. The Derby is the Derby. You just don’t put much stock in the Derby if you don’t run as well as you had hoped.”
Further Ado will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, who replaces the injured Irad Ortiz Jr., who has been the colt’s partner in seven of his nine races.
Cox won the 2023 Pennsylvania Derby with Saudi Crown, who return to Parx to run in Saturday’s $300,000 Parx Dirt Mile Stakes.
Further Ado was scheduled to ship to Parx from Churchill Wednesday.
– Tim Wilkin
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