PEN Mile (Grade 3)- $400.000 Purse
PEN- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
May 31, 2024

Classy City had an excellent two-year-old season that saw him win the BC Juvenile Turf, but thus far in 2024, he had not picked up that big win in a graded race. It may not have helped him that he had been dealing with soft turf in his last two starts and that would not be a concern in the PEN Mile. With the betting public strongly favoring Fanatical Empire and Diamond Haggis, and for very good reason, Classy City was overlooked a bit as his odds climbed to 10/1. On this day he would get the job done and reminding everyone who won the BC Juvenile Turf last fall. He was our third choice, behind the two favorites. He is trained by Asgar, who wins the PEN Mile for the second time. In 2022, the late Pride In The Ride got him the win here. P Lopez was aboard for his first win in the race. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:32.58, the second quickest in the history of the race. Let’s take a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :22.92)- Our two outside starters are the quickest out of the gate, and it will be Encryptic powering out to a length lead for Mb Stables over TwinTowersRacing’s Whoda Thunk It. Behind these two, the rest of the field is jammed up pretty close to one another, with a five wide group handling the turn and one immediately behind them. Running evenly for third, and in the third and fourth lanes here are Diamond Haggis, out of Fractious, and Foxy Devil, from Maxmillion Farm. On the rail here is the eventual winner from Asgar, Classy City, so what is going on nearby to him is not a hindrance to him like it may be to the others. Maxmillion Farm’s Trouble Brewing keeps him company right beside him, and the outside here is Children Of The Sod, for Onlineracingclub.com. Tucked in close behind this five wide group is the post time favorite from Smokey Stover, Fanatical Empire. At the back, but maybe having the right idea to stay away from the tight pack, is Free Agent, for Fractious.

(½ Mile- :46.03)- Out front, Encryptic pulls away from the rest of the field, leading Whoda Thunk It by about a length and a half. That one is falling back into the clutches of the pack that had been right behind him at a quarter mile. They have started to work it out to get some separation between them, with both Diamond Haggis and Foxy Devil almost a full length clear of the others and are still running side by side with one another. Classy City is fifth, unbothered by what is going on around him, but he might have to deal with Whoda Thunk It from dropping right into him on the rail. Trouble Brewing, in the second lane, may be in the best spot for the moment amongst this group. Fanatical Empire and Children Of The Sod run directly behind Diamond Haggis and Foxy Devil, and at the back, Free Agent stays clear of the pack.

(Top of Stretch, 1.6F To Go)- Approaching the end of the backstretch, the way that the third through eighth place horses all moved down a lane in a synchronized manner at exactly the same time would warrant Olympic gold. This race engine nuance (sorry) now put Classy City in the best spot to handle the turn, and he most definitely took advantage of the turn. It was in the turn where Classy City was at his absolute best, cruising by the others that had been in the pack, but pulling even with Encryptic a lot quicker than it seemed like he would. In fact, at the top of the stretch, he was now the new leader with a neck in front of Encryptic. Unless someone new got up to challenge him, the race may have been in the bag at this point. Encryptic remained second, and behind them, the field fans out as horses look for room to run. Foxy Devil is third, by half a length over Diamond Haggis and Trouble Brewing. Fanatical Empire and Children Of The Sod were caught out wide and Whoda Thunk It called it a day. The way this was set up was ideal for a late runner like Free Agent, who was able to stick it to the rail and hoped to pass as many as he could in an unobstructed manner in the stretch. Could catching Classy City be possible for him?

Finish (1:32.58)- Classy City is dominant in stretch, full of run as he pulls away from the rest of the field. The only one making any sort of progress on him was Free Agent, and while that was good to see him through the second position, Classy City was running way too well to be concerned about him. In the end, this is a nice win for Classy City, beating a couple others in here who had scored big wins or big results within this division early this year. The margin of victory goes down in the books as a length, but really, it was just about two lengths. Free Agent was a length ahead of stablemate Diamond Haggis for second, while the outside run of Fanatical Empire gets him fourth, narrowly, over Foxy Devil and Encryptic. Children Of The Sod, Trouble Brewing, and Whoda Thunk It round it out.

About The Winner- Classy City, trained by Asgar, and ridden to victory by P Lopez, is a three-year-old gelding by Class Edge, and is out of City Blitz. He was bred in California as a yearling by Asgar, they only trainer for which he has ever known. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 10 starts, his third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $1,187.480.

Track: Firm
Time: :22⁴  :46  1:09²  1:32²

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 7 Paid 173.60
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 7 – 4 Paid 226.60

Scratched: Woodsmoke

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES