Penn Mile 2019: Preview, Entries & Odds

PENN MILE 2019 - After suffering a heartbreaking loss by less than a length to undefeated Digital Age in the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day, rising 3-year-old grass star A Thread of Blue will seek to resume his speedy dominance Saturday in the 7th running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa.

Owned by Leonard C. Green and trained in New York by Kiaran McLaughlin, A Thread of Blue hinted at his quality as a 2-year-old last year and then rose to the top of the class this past winter at Gulfstream Park, winning an allowance race, the Dania Beach Stakes and the Grade 3 Palm Beach Stakes in succession under jockey Luis Saez.

He made all the pace in the American Turf, widening his lead to three lengths at the top of the stretch, before being caught near the line and having his winning streak snapped. The Kentucky-bred son of Hard Spun boasts a record of four wins, two seconds and a third from eight starts with earnings of $315,190.

"He shows up every time," said McLaughlin, who will ship A Thread of Blue to Penn National the morning of the race. "He shows a lot of speed, but in the Palm Beach he laid off the pace, and that was nice. Luis Saez will be there. We thought the turnback to a mile [from a mile and a sixteenth in the American Turf] will be great. We thought this was a great spot and great timing."

A Thread of Blue will carry top weight of 122 pounds and morning-line favoritism at 5-2 odds in the Penn Mile against eight rivals, including Casa Creed, runner-up in the Palm Beach Stakes; The Black Album, a Group 3 stakes winner in France who was beaten less than three lengths in the American Turf; and Forty Under, winner last September of the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park.

The Penn Mile has once again attracted trainer Mark Casse, recent winner of the Preakness Stakes with War of Will. Casse runners finished 1-2 in the 2016 Penn Mile with filly turf star Catch a Glimpse defeating barn mate Airoforce.

This year, the trainer returns with John Oxley's Moon Colony (12-1), a half-brother to multiple-graded stakes winner Cavorting, who earned more than $2 million in her career.

Moon Colony broke his maiden on the grass at Keeneland last October and a month later delivered a powerful two-length victory in a turf allowance race at the Fair Grounds.

Casse gave Moon Colony some time off after a close-up fifth-place finish in the Kitten's Joy Stakes in January at Gulfstream Park and said the rest has allowed his colt to grow up.

"I like him a lot," Casse said. "When the dust clears, he's going to be a good horse. I gave him a little break after his last race. He wasn't very heavy and lightened up after the Kitten's Joy, and I brought him to our training center in Ocala, and he's come back and trained extremely well."

While Moon Colony's female family has predominantly produced dirt runners, his sire Uncle Mo's offspring also take to grass racing.

"He trains good on both," Casse said. "I thought the grass would be better for him off a long layoff."

Casa Creed (6-1), owned by LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable and trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, defeated Moon Colony in the Kitten's Joy before finishing sixth behind A Thread of Blue in the Dania Beach, second by just three-quarters of a length in the Palm Beach and ninth in the American Turf.

Another top contender in the race is Real News (5-1), trained by Al Stall for Town and Country Racing and Gary Broad. The son of The Factor finished second, beaten just a half-length, on May 18 in the James W. Murphy Stakes at a mile on the grass on the Preakness Stakes undercard.

The colt has two wins and two runner-up finishes in four starts.

An intriguing long shot in the Penn Mile is the French-bred The Black Album (15-1), owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber and trained in Kentucky by Rodolphe Brisset.

The Black Album won a Group 3 stakes race at Longchamp before coming to the United States and finishing eighth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on soft ground at Churchill Downs.

Since then, he finished third in the Grade 3 Transylvania in April at Keeneland and then loomed boldly in the stretch after a poor star when seventh in the American Turf.

"He actually ran his best race last time," Brisset said. "He was No. 12 [the outside post in the starting gate] and was acting up and rearing up a little bit. It was just very bad timing. The [horse next to him] went up in the air at the break, and our horse looked left and the gate opened, and he just broke up in the air. He was 10 or 12 lengths off the pace, and it was a slow pace of 49 seconds. It's hard to close in a pace like that, and he did. He cut the corner and closed some ground. We just crossed that race off and looked at the next one, and this mile is what we're looking forward to."

August Dawn Farm and trainer Jeremiah Englehart enter Forty Under (7-2), the aforementioned winner last September of the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes over yielding ground at Belmont Park. After that victory, the gray or roan son of Uncle Mo chased the pace in second into the stretch before fading to sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

In his lone start this year, Forty Under finished second in the listed Woodhaven Stakes on yielding ground at Aqueduct. In his only try on firm turf, Forty Under broke his maiden at Saratoga.

Completing the field for the Penn Mile are Awad Stakes winner Empire of War (9-2), Fluminense (10-1), and Conative (20-1).

The Penn Mile, with a scheduled post time of 7:50 p.m., is the richest race of the year at Hollywood Casino at Penn National and in its brief history has become one of the most important turf races for three-year-olds in the country.

The race is the centerpiece of a sterling 12-race card that features eight stakes worth a total of $1.3 million. Post time for the first race is 2:45 p.m.

In the $200,000 Penn Oaks, a mile companion turf race for three-year-old fillies, Regal Glory, a daughter of 2011 Kentucky Derby and 2013 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom, heads a field of eight for three-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

Post time for the Penn Oaks is 7:15 p.m.

The two marquee races on the card complete an all-stakes Penn Pick 4 that starts with Race 8, the $100,000 Susquehanna Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf and continues with the 49th running of the $100,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup, a five-furlong turf sprint that attracted multiple graded stakes winner Pure Sensation.

The second running of the $100,000 Penn Ladies Dash, the sixth race on the card, attracted six stakes winners in a field of eight, including Ms. Locust Point, winner last year of the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel Park. Trained by John Servis, Ms. Locust has won three of four starts this year including the Primonetta Stakes.

Four of the stakes races on the card - The Penn Ladies Dash, Chocolate Town Sprint, Susquehanna Stakes and Pennsylvania Governor's Cup - are all MATCH Series races. The five-month series is contested at five different Mid-Atlantic racetracks across four different divisions, with $2 million in prize money and $400,000 in bonuses on the line for owners, trainers, breeders and certifiers.

From a wagering standpoint, in addition to the Penn Pick 4, there are two other Pick 4s on the card - an all-stakes Pick 4 in races four through seven, and a MATCH Series Pick 4 in races six through nine.

The Penn Mile card also will be part of the all-stakes Cross-Country Pick 5, an innovative wager offered in conjunction with Belmont Park. The Pick 5 sequence will feature the eighth race at Belmont, the Grade 3, $200,000 Pennine Ridge on the turf, followed by races eight through 11 at Penn National.

Additionally, Penn National will offer mandatory payouts Saturday in the Hollywood High 5 Race 2 and the Penn Pick 6 which commences in Race 3.

Forty Under points to G2 Penn Mile

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart plans on sending graded stakes winner Forty Under to Penn National Race Course for Saturday's Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile.

On Saturday morning, the son of Uncle Mo worked a half-mile at Saratoga in 49.06 seconds. His lone start this year was a runner-up effort behind Clint Maroon in the Woodhaven at Aqueduct.

"He's pretty much been business as usual," Englehart said.

Englehart said that a good performance from Forty Under in the Penn Mile could mean taking a shot at the newly designed Turf Trinity series, which consists of the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational, $1 million Saratoga Derby and the $1 million Jockey Club Derby.

"It's a possibility," Englehart said. "When that came out that's what I had in mind for him. I want to see him run the way we think that he can."

Bred in Kentucky by Cedar Hill, Forty Under is out of the stakes winning Black Tie Affair broodmare Argent Affair. He won the Grade 3 Pilgrim over the inner turf at Belmont Park before a sixth-place effort in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.

A Thread of Blue Headed to the Penn Mile

With four wins from eight starts, including a graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Palm Beach last March at Gulfstream Park, Leonard Green's A Thread of Blue has emerged as one of the top 3-year-old turf colts in the nation.

The son of Hard Spun bred by Flaxman Holdings and in the care of conditioner Kiaran McLaughlin broke his maiden in his third career start last fall at Belmont and followed up with a third-place finish in the Awad at Aqueduct. His 3-year-old campaign kicked off with a flourish at Gulfstream wheeling off three consecutive victories with an allowance race followed by the Dania Beach and Palm Beach.

Visiting the Belmont training track on Saturday morning, A Thread of Blue worked four furlongs in 49.88 seconds for his first breeze since running second in the Grade 2 American Turf last out on May 4.

McLaughlin said A Thread of Blue would first target a start in the Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile before looking towards the first leg of the newly created NYRA Turf Triple Series, the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby on July 6.

"We're fist going to target the Penn Mile," said McLaughlin. "We hope to use that race as a setup to the NYRA Turf Triple."

The Turf Trinity consists of the Grade 1 Belmont Derby at 1 ¼ miles; followed by the first running of the $1 million Saratoga Derby on August 4 at Saratoga Race Course at 1 3/16 miles; and concluding with the newly created $1 million Jockey Club Derby on Saturday, September 7 at 1 ½ miles.

McLaughlin said he is looking forward to the debut of the Turf Triple.

"It's certainly a nice series, especially if you're a trainer that has the type of horses that can fit those races," said McLaughlin. "Horses should come from all over the world for those races, so it's great that we might have one that will fit. We certainly plan on finding out."

Trainer Chad Brown's Digital Age Looks Strong for Penn Mile

Undefeated Digital Age, an upset winner of the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs, headlines an overflowing list of 47 top 3-year-old turf runners nominated to the Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile, the marquee race of the year at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course on Saturday, June 1.

Trained by Chad Brown, three-time winner of the Eclipse Award for leading trainer in the country, the Irish-bred Digital Age employed what is becoming his trademark late charge down the lane to overhaul pace-making graded stakes winner A Thread of Blue to win the American Turf by a head. The runner-up, owned by Leonard Green and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, also is nominated to the Penn Mile, setting up a rematch of rising stars in the division.

Now in its sixth year, the Penn Mile has established itself as one of the most important turf races for 3-year-olds in the country. The race has been won by the Brown-trained Bobby's Kitten in 2014, who subsequently captured the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and Catch a Glimpse, the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner. Last year's winner, Hawkish, already has won and placed in two stakes starts this year.

The Penn Mile is the centerpiece of a spectacular card featuring eight stakes races worth a total of $1.3 million. The other stakes highlights include the co-featured $200,000 Penn Oaks listed stakes for 3-year-old fillies running a mile on the turf and four MATCH Series races for top runners in the Mid-Atlantic.

In total, the eight stakes races drew 241 nominations for the Penn Mile program that gets underway at 2:45 p.m.

"We are thrilled with the support we received from the horsemen for Penn Mile Day," said Eric Johnston, director of racing operations for Penn National. "This is shaping up to be one of the best race cards in the history of the track. We're proud to have developed a program that so many of the top outfits in the country are circling on their calendar."

Digital Age, who won the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs along with the American Turf, and A Thread of Blue, a graded stakes winner this past winter at Gulfstream Park, aren't the only standouts being considered for the Penn Mile. The race attracted nominations from 19 stakes winners, nine of whom have won graded stakes.

Powerful trainer Todd Pletcher has six nominees to the Penn Mile, including The Elkstone Group's Social Paranoia, who finished third, just three-quarters of a length behind Digital Age, in the American Turf Stakes. Pletcher also is considering a run by St. Elias Stable's Clint Maroon, an English-bred riding a three-race winning streaking, including a four-length score in the Woodhaven in April at Aqueduct.

In that race, Clint Maroon held off another highly regarded Penn Mile nominee, August Dawn Farm's Forty Under, trained by Jeremiah Englehart, who won the Grade 3 Pilgrim last September at Belmont Park, defeating Social Paranoia. Forty Under then raced gamely in second before fading to sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Trainer Graham Motion has five runners nominated to the Penn Mile, led by Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch's Solidify, who won his only two starts as a 2-year-old, including the Grade 2 Grey Stakes at Woodbine. The Penn Mile would be Solidify's seasonal debut. Motion also nominated Calumet Farm's English Bee, a sharp winner of the James W. Murphy Stakes on Preakness Day at Pimlico.

One of the most accomplished nominees is Henley's Joy, who races for Bloom Racing Stable and trainer Michael Maker. The son of Kitten's Joy has faced stakes company eight times in nine career starts, winning the Pulpit Stakes by 4½ lengths last December at Gulfstream Park and finishing second in the Grade 3 Bourbon and Grade 3 Transylvania stakes, both at Keeneland.

Another intriguing nominee is Team Valor International and Gary Barber's The Black Album, a French-bred stakes winner at Longchamp, who contested the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and finished third in the Transylvania and a close-up and troubled seventh in the American Turf.

$200,000 PENN OAKS

Of the 30 fillies nominated to the Penn Oaks, four are graded stakes winners, six have won listed stakes and another six are placed in graded and listed stakes. One of the stars of the group is Katsumi Yoshida's The Mackem Bullet, an Irish-bred for Wesley Ward who is also cross-nominated to the Penn Mile.

The Mackem Bullet placed in top group stakes company three times in Europe, including a neck loss in the Group 1 Juddmonte Cheverley Park Stakes at Newmarket before transferring to this country to compete in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. She finished sixth that day after early trouble and rebounded the following month with a 10 ½-length score in an allowance at Turfway Park.

In two starts as a 3-year-old, she finished fourth when challenging males in the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway on Polytrack and then returned to the turf to take the Grade 2 Appalachian by an authoritative 2 ¼ lengths on April 7 at Keeneland.

The runner-up in the Appalachian, the twice graded stakes-placed Regal Glory, owned by Paul Pompa and trained by Chad Brown, is also nominated to the Penn Oaks.

Another interesting nominee to the Penn Oaks is Debby Oxley's Chocolate Kisses, winner of the Grade 3 Honeybee on the dirt in March at Oaklawn Park, who is 2-for-3 with a graded-stakes placing on turf.

Among the nominees for the $100,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup, a five-furlong turf sprint for 3-year-olds and up, is defending champion Oak Bluffs, a 9-year-old winner of 13 turf races who is now in the barn of trainer Jorge Navarro.

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s Morticia, a blazing daughter of Twirling Candy trained by George "Rusty" Arnold, is nominated as well. Last year, Morticia won the Penn Ladies Dash, which has been converted into a dirt race this year. She is a seven-time stakes winner who won the Giant's Causeway Stakes in April at Keeneland.