Third Time’s The Charm For Penn Mile

[Wandering Eyes]

Following a couple of weather-related postponements, a field of eight will finally get their chance to run in the GIII Penn Mile as the sun begins to set over Grantville on Friday evening.

Chad Brown won the second running of the Penn Mile with Bobby's Kitten (Kitten's Joy) back in 2014, and Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns) will start a warm favorite to pull the conditioner into a tie with Mark Casse on two wins.

A two-time graded winner and low-odds seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last term, the ridgling is perfect in his two trips to the races this season, including the May 3 GI American Turf Stakes at Churchill.

Casse has a couple of chances to pick up his third Penn Mile. Gary Barber's Mi Bago (Vekoma) should be part of the early pace Friday night. Front-running tactics served him well in a pair of listed stakes wins at or about a mile at Gulfstream last year and early this term, but he was no better than fourth when allowed a fairly soft time of things on the engine in the American Turf. He exits a distant runner-up effort as the favorite in the rained-off Pennine Ridge Stakes at Saratoga June 7.

The Casse barn is also represented by Dream On (Not This Time), a solid third in last year's GI Summer Stakes and a couple of spots ahead of Zulu Kingdom in the Juvenile Turf. He brings winning form into this, having gotten home late to take the Apr. 26 Woodhaven Stakes by a neck at Aqueduct.

Out On Bail (Tiz the Law) tries a turf route for the first time, but has solid form going 5 1/2 furlongs, including a victory in last year's Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga. He stretches out off a runner-up effort on seasonal debut in the Apr. 30 William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs.

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