PEN Mile (Grade 3)- $400.000 Purse
PEN- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
May 30, 2025

Friday was wet across many places in the northeast, and PEN was no exception as steady rain left the track sloppy and soft. For Big Blue, this is to be expected, as it would mark the fourth race in a row that he ran on an off track, with three of them being soft. While it certainly does not need to be wet for him to find success, he has proven that he doesn’t mind it at all, as he had won two of those previous three. In the PEN Mile, he would take care of business again, cruising to a two-length victory. He was our pick to win, and the post time favorite, as his off-track accolades were pretty easy to see. The winning trainer is Mb Stables, and he has done well in this race, winning it now for the fourth time. M Franco was aboard for his first such win. Congratulations to them! The winning race time was 1:37.74, not quite as quick as the 2018 edition which was also on soft going, but all the was needed. Let’s take a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :23.68)- Bear Head and Smitten, respectively trained by Martyparty and Asgar, will be the quickest out of the gate and will match one another’s stride as we make our way into the opening turn. Zion Birdie runs in the third lane for La Canada Racehorses, as S X Bridgmohan opts not to move him to the rail when it looked like it was possible. In the middle of the field, the eventual winner from Mb Stables, Big Blue is content to run about two and a half lengths from the lead, and he has Arapaho (Riggins Racing) to his inside. It’s another length to Arising (Maxmillion Farm), who also takes an outside trip around the turn, and Sunflowers (TwinTowersRacing) is a length behind him.

(½ Mile- :47.87)- Heading down the backstretch, Smitten and Bear Head remain at the front, and now put a two-length cushion between them and the closest competitor. At a half mile, Smitten would begin to look a little better than Bear Head, being able to creep ahead to a half-length advantage. Zion Birdie runs third but now has Big Blue pulling up right beside him, and Arapaho is in close proximity as well. Arising is next, then Sunflowers, with both of them content to hold their positions and have not made a move as of yet.

(Top of the Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Smitten has been able to put Bear Head away, doing so in the turn, but had a new concern entering the stretch. That would be Big Blue, who made gradual progress in the turn to also complete the pass of Bear Head and now just be a length behind the leader while running on the rail. Zion Birdie packed it in during the turn, and Arapaho also looked like his day was done already. Arising and Sunflowers had caught those two and were in good position to pass other tiring horses and possibly get a piece of the purse.

(Finish- 1:37.74)- With a furlong to go, Big Blue had caught Smitten quickly, and made easy work of him, blowing on by for the lead. All the was left now was for M Franco to look over his shoulder to see if there were any new challengers coming for him. There would not be, and with this race in the bag, Big Blue could go on to win this race by a comfortable two and a half lengths. No one else would catch Smitten, but he holds off a charge by longshot Sunflowers to get second in a photo. Arising didn’t do much, but still gets the fourth-place check, topping Bear Head, Arapaho, and Zion Birdie.

About The Winner- Big Blue, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by M Franco, is a three-year-old gelding by Supercomplication and is out of Infinite Wisdom. He was bred as a yearling in California and was acquired by Mb Stables for $15.500 in the September 2024 auction. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in nine starts, his third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $762.800.

Track: Soft
Time: :23³  :47⁴  1:12³  1:37³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 2 Paid 42.70
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 2 – 3 Paid 604.50

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES