| Grade I race | |
| Location | Parx Racing and Casino Bensalem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1979 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1.125 miles (1.811 km) (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 122 lbs. (55.3 kg) |
| Purse | $1 million (2019)[1] |
| Bonuses | $50,000 to owner and trainer for entering horses who have won specified races[2] |
The Pennsylvania Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Parx Racing and Casino (formerly known as Keystone Race Track, then from 1986 through 2010 as Philadelphia Park) each year. The track's premiere event is open to horses, age three, and is run at a distance of 1.125 miles (1.811 km) (9 furlongs) on the dirt and since 2007 normally offers a purse of $1 million.[3][1]
In 2016, the purse was increased to $1.25 million because of the presence of the winners of two of the three Triple Crown races: Nyquist, winner of the 2016 Kentucky Derby, and Exaggerator, winner of the 2016 Preakness Stakes. If Creator, winner of the 2016 Belmont, had also raced, the purse would have been $1.5 million.[4]
The Pennsylvania Derby began on Memorial Day in 1979 and achieved Graded status in 1981. From 1990 until 2009, with the exception of 2006 due to extensive renovations, the race was held on Labor Day; in 2004, it was elevated to a Grade II event. Starting in 2010, the race moved to the last Saturday of September in an attempt to get a stronger field preparing for the Breeders' Cup; the move to late September also made it possible to move away from another premier event, the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in New York State. In 2017 it was raised to Grade I status for the first time.
In 1991, Andrea Seefeldt became the first female jockey to win the Pennsylvania Derby[5] and the following year Pam Shavelson became the first female trainer to win the race.[6] There was no running of the Pennsylvania Derby in 2020.