Twilight Derby (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
SA- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Turf
October 31, 2021

Ptyrannical went off as a big favorite for the Twilight Derby, at odds of , as bettors found his experience in races like this quite appealing. There would be no spirits that kept this one away from the winner’s circle on Halloween, but it was a nail biter as he narrowly defeated the pace setter, Sovereign Leader, at the wire. The end result gets Arindel his first win in this stake, and the same for jockey T J Pereira. Congratulations to them! The race went in a time of 1:45.50. Here’s a look at it!

(½ Mile- :46.70)- Sovereign Leader jumps out to the early lead for Nakamura Stables, and has no one interested in joining him. This allows him to open up a two length lead during the frontstretch, and advantage that would be extended to three by the time they were done rounding the first turn. Mock Galaxy ran by himself in the second spot for Jive Inc, a length ahead over the eventual winner, Arindel’s Ptyrannical, who was running to the outside of Cherokee Devil (Maxmillion Farm). Sirzhu (Big Guns Stables) was another length back.

(¾ Mile- 1:09.70)- Down the backstretch, we watch five horses run with none of them looking to make any kind of move whatsoever. So, it’s still Sovereign Leader out front by about three with no one challenging him as of yet. Mock Galaxy remained second, a length ahead of Ptyrannical, followed by Cherokee Devil and Sirzhu.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Around the final turn, it is still Sovereign Leader perhaps wondering if this is just a workout because as of this point, he still has not seen any of the other horses in the race. The lead has shrunk, however, as Mock Galaxy is now a length and a half back. He would need to push harder, though, if he wanted to make a bid for the win. Ptyrannical was still a length behind him, and was in position to make a pass on the outside, but the heavy favorite would need to come up big in the stretch. Sirzhu was now fourth, as Cherokee Devil decided he was done for the day.

(Finish- 1:45.50)- Early in the stretch, and with about a furlong to go, Sovereign Leader still seemed to be doing enough to hang on. Ptyrannical was inching closer, but did not seem to be getting there quick enough. With half a furlong to go, Ptyrannical still had a length to make up. But the experienced horse knew not to give in, and T J Pereira was not going to settle for second, and as they hit the wire, we were in for a tight photo. Would it be the big favorite or the 10/1 longshot with the win? In the end, just barely, it would be Ptyrannical prevailing over Sovereign Leader. Sirzhu ran nicely in the stretch, and got up for third over Mock Galaxy. Cherokee Devil brings up the rear.

About The Winner- Ptyrannical, trained by Arindel and ridden to victory by T J Pereira, is a three year old gelding by Opus Force, and is out of Star Pirate. He was bred in the great breeding state of Pennsylvania by Joshua Stables as a second quarter two year old, and acquired by Arindel in a Christmas Eve private sale for $200.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 15 starts, and his first stake win of any sort. His career earnings are now $323.480.

Track: Firm
Time: :46³  1:09³  1:33¹  1:45²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 3 – 5 Paid 12.40
$1 Trifecta: 3 – 5 – 1 Paid 52.20

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES