The Puma scores in Pennsylvania Derby
Bodacious Bay takes Cotillion
The Biz
September 20, 2026
The Puma made his move early, swept six wide into the stretch and held off Further Ado by a half-length Saturday to win the Grade 1, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
One race earlier, Bodacious Bay tracked stablemate My Miss Mo, took over entering the stretch and drew off to win the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion by 3 1/4 lengths.
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Javier Castellano let The Puma settle near the back of the 10-horse field as Talk to Me Jimmy set the pace. Talk to Me Jimmy, with company from Sassmaster and Ponder and Dream, set fractions of 47.69 seconds for a half-mile and 1:12.10 for three quarters.
The Gustavo Delgado-trained The Puma circled the field on the far turn, took command into the stretch and opened a three-length lead. Further Ado rallied late but ran out of ground. Sassmaster finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Further Ado.
“A lot of speed in the race,” Castellano said in a postrace interview. “I took my time. I saved all the ground, and then I knew at some point I had to step up.”
The Puma covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.10 and paid $7.40 to win. The son of Essential Quality races for OGMA Investments, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, YNG Stables and JR Ranch. He earned $555,000 for his first Grade 1 victory and paid $7.40 to win as the second choice. Further Ado, the 2-1 favorite, was second, and Sassmaster held third. Smarty Jones Stakes winner Micanopy finished ninth.
The Puma earned his second win from seven career starts and pushed his career bankroll past the $1.1 million mark.
In the Cotillion, the improving Bodacious Bay made her first start in the Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn a winning one, dominating a field that included the Kentucky Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan winners.
Micah Husbands kept the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee just outside stablemate My Miss Mo, the Black-Eyed Susan winner, through a half-mile in 47.99 seconds. Bodacious Bay moved alongside on the far turn and pulled clear when asked. Odds-on favorite Always a Runner, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, rallied for second, a neck ahead of Measure.
“This was a big goal that we were happy to hit the board, and we’re grateful to win,” Joseph said. “And all glory to God. And from here, it’s just the sky’s the limit.”
He praised Husbands’ composure in major races and said he expects Bodacious Bay continue developing next year. Bodacious Bay ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.60 and paid $12.20. The daughter of Not This Time has won two of five starts and earned nearly $710,000 for an ownership group headed by C2 Racing Stable and Miller Racing. My Miss Mo faded to sixth.
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