Parx Denies Entry In PA Derby, Cotillion For Two Outclassed Horses

The entries of two horses, one entered in the GI Pennsylvania Derby and other in the GI Cotillion S., that appeared to be hopelessly outclassed were not accepted Monday by the Parx racing office.

Both are trained by Daniel Siculietano and owned by Salvatore Rizzo's JR Jewel Stables. The Pennsylvania Derby horse, Carry Grant (Brody's Cause) was coming off a race where he finished second in a $16,000 maiden claimer at Delaware Park. The Cotillion horse Molly Malone (Mendelssohn) won a $10,000 maiden claimer at Parx in her last start.

“(The Parx racing office) told me their form does not fit the races and that they're going to take them both out,” Siculietano said. “It didn't make me upset. It is what is it. I was going to take a shot. It's OK. We'll just run them where they can be competitive. They said they'd be taking both horses out of their races because they don't fit in these races. They're probably right that they don't fit. We were pushing the envelope. That's horse racing.”

Despite the horse's lackluster credentials, had they been allowed to run the owner was guaranteed to make some money, no matter where they finished. In both races, any horse that finished sixth or worst would still earn $15,000. The race cost $1,000 to enter and $4,000 to start. A few other smaller fees add up to about $500, meaning even a dead-last showing would have earned the owner about $9,500.

“The ($9,500) more played into the equation with the owner than with me,” the 63-year-old trainer said in an interview conducted before he learned that his horses had been withdrawn from the races. “He became adamant that we should run. My reasons for wanting to enter was that if both horses showed up they'd have a chance to fool some people.”

Siculietano said both horses were coming into the weekend at their very best.

“Molly Malone is a horse that never gives up and keeps on fighting,” he said. “She has been training like a beast. We got Carry Grant from another trainer and he was not in very good shape. We've worked with him all summer and he's turned out to be a monster of a little horse. If he shows up he'll have a chance. You never know. Anything can happen on any given day in a horse race.”

Siculietano has been training for less than two years and has a record of 6-for-97. He said he was a general contractor before obtaining his trainer's license.