Digital Ops

The cars scooting along on the nearby Pennsylvania Turnpike may have little from a speed standpoint on Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby in Northeast Philly, as the pace looks to be very much on and that could help those with stalking or closing ability in the final age-restricted Grade I of the season around two turns. But make no mistake: speed has been king--by and large--in the $1-million contest over the past dozen years or so. The Bob Baffert-trained Bayern (Offlee Wild)--next-out winner of a much-discussed GI Breeders' Cup Classic--future champion...

2nd-KEE, $100K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:32 p.m. Drawn inside facing a field of 12, ROYAL SLIPPER (Uncle Mo) for Wesley Ward is out of $1.5m Fasig-Tipton Fall Mixed Sale pick up Laffina (Arch), making her a full-sister to MGISW and $4.2m FTKNOV purchase Bast. The dam is a half to GSW/GISP Mananan Mclir (Royal Academy) and to the dam of GISW Fault (Blame), another FTKNOV spotlight at $1.2m. Lady Chai (Kantharos), a $570,000 Keeneland September buy, is a half-sister to GSW/GISP Shivaji (First Samurai) and to SW/MGISP Tarabi (First...

6th-BAQ, $90K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, 3:36 p.m. One of only a pair of first-time starters in the field, DIGITAL OPS (Nyquist) is the second foal out of MSW/GISP Flora Dora (First Dude). Picked up on a final bid of $600,000 at this Spring's OBS March sale, the colt is a half-brother to 'TDN Rising Star' Spun Intended (Hard Spun). Drawn outside is fellow first timer and stablemate Unique Insight (Gun Runner). This one, a $360,000 Fasig-Tipton October pickup by Klaravich Stables, is a half to runaway Albany S. winner Drake's...