PEN Mile (Grade 2)- $500.000 Purse
PEN- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
June 1, 2019
There will be purse money on the line this Saturday at PEN with multiple races to be excited about, but nothing that will compare to the sixth running of the PEN Mile and it’s $500.000 purse. Mb Stables will be looking to extend his winning streak to three in this race, while others look to snap that streak. Altogether, we have a field of eight that is a good blend of horses who have already accomplished a fair amount in their careers, against promising up and comers. Let’s take a look at the field!
#1- Mysterious Moon (Fractious, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Picked up by the current trainer in February via a $10.000 claimer, and it’s beginning to work out well for him. Fractious stretched him out, and has been rewarded with a win and a place in allowances at SA at exactly a mile. That’s it, so far for him, so we can’t officially call him a steal yet. However, looking at his winning time and SRF from his allowance win, he is certainly heading in that direction. This is a leap in class, but even when he was racing for smaller prices, he’s proven he knows how to win.
#2- Hollywood Gem (Estero Farms, ridden by C J Lanerie)- Has won four out of seven thus far in his career, but his graded debut did not go according to plan. The biggest reason for that may have been the rain, however, interestingly, his other two off track starts were wins. That was a sprint, and now he will be back to going long, where he is 3-for-3 in his career. One of those wins was the $75.000 Columbia Stakes at TAM. He worked quite well at PRX last week, so cannot be overlooked.
#3- Tinecipher (Joshua Stables, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- After a couple of double digit finishes, including his last race where he lost by 20 lengths, Tinecipher is once again getting another chance at this level. To this point, he has not really shown much on the track in any type of stake. His last race, the big loss, came at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass, on soft turf. At the current time, there is a 40% chance of precip on race day. No question that he needs a confidence booster, but this seems like a tough spot for it.
#4- Arkenstone (Mb Stables, ridden by L H Colon)- The trainer scratched his other entry, so he’s going with Arkenstone as he looks for his third straight win. He’s certainly a good weapon to have for this race, with four wins in seven starts at this or similar conditions. On top of that, he has faced several off tracks in that time, and had no issue with it. If it rains, Mb Stables should be happy. Getting the ride, L H Colon looks for his second consecutive win in the stake. This is the horse to beat. He’ll be looking for that signature win at this point, and this is a great spot for him as he eventually plans for the BC trail.
#5- Grandiose (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Still looking for his second career win, and makes his 11th start here. He did get a spot in the BC Juvenile Turf, after a solid two year old season, but after a disappointment there, he has not done much of anything. Even the one race where he did hit the board, he was beaten by seven lengths. This is an inconsistent horse, but if he runs a big one, and he seems due for it, he could get a piece of the purse. Winning, though, is much more of a challenge.
#6- Magne Bern (Gdp Inc, ridden by F Pennington)- The Charlemagne gelding has had a very good season, with three wins in four starts this year. Unfortunately, the last start, that broke a three race winning streak saw him disappoint as the favorite in the Grade 2 TS Turf Sprint last month, placing ninth. He has not raced longer quite as much, but does have one win in three starts. At his best, you could see him potentially getting a win here, but if nothing else, he needs to show that the last race was merely an aberration.
#7- General Ferro- Scratched
#8- Feathers Not Dots (Team 7 Illusions, ridden by K Carmouche)- A winner in two out of six career starts, and that’s even better when you toss out his graded attempts. At this level, Feathers Not Dots has been unable to do much, running 11th in the TC prep attempt at the San Felipe, and then seventh at the Grade 2 American Turf. That was on a two week layoff after winning an allowance, so while I don’t think the soft turf was his biggest excuse, the lack of rest may have been. He’ll have to have a career best run here.
#9- City Of Bones (John Henry, ridden by R Bejarano)- Comes into this race after winning the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile at GG in late April, his second career win. He earned a 99 SRF in that win, and did so by coming off the pace with plenty of speed in the stretch. This is going to make him the biggest threat to Arkenstone, and as each of them seem to run a similar style, we may be in for an incredible stretch duel between the two of them. City Of Bones is consistent, hitting the board in six of seven career races, and is only getting better. Working exceptionally well coming into this.
Prediction: 4-9-1-6
— NS
Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES
