On Friday, some interesting races take place at the Penn National Race Course, and we’re about to look closely at two of them. At first, three-year-old fillies clash in the mile-long 2022 Penn Oaks Stakes where the G1 placed Haughty makes a seasonal reappearance and being the Chad Brown trainee, her chances on the turf surface are naturally high. Subsequently, three-year-olds aim at the G2 Penn Mile Stakes. The lightly-raced Annapolis is anticipated to achieve his second G2 victory here.
Penn Oaks Stakes
This un-Graded race is open to three-year-old fillies who are about to clash at the distance of a mile and vie for the purse of $150,000. On the turf surface, six participants line up here, including Haughty (0.5-1), trained by Chad Brown.
The daughter of Empire Maker has three starts under her belt as she commenced her career in 2021 with a third place in a maiden, upon which she recorded her premiere victory, crossing the wire with the advantage of four lengths.
After the fine display of ability, Haughty was quite respected in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, where she galloped in the midfield, and in the final stretch, she rallied forward to secure third place behind a more powerfully finishing duo.
Haughty hasn’t hit the track since, but she’s the clear favorite here due to the fact that neither of her Friday rivals has shown such a class as she did.
Chad Brown also relies on inexperienced Customer List (3.25-1), who was an easy victress of her life debut in September. It’s difficult to gauge both her class and current form, yet she seems to be the second chance behind her stable-mate as Chad Brown’s horses are generally very strong on the turf surface. Therefore, Customer List shouldn’t be underestimated.
Morning Matcha (12.5-1) and Alittleloveandluck (8.5-1) have already faced the Graded competition. The former was running well in the black-type races, recording places and a victory, so the next logical step was to take on some better fillies; however, she didn’t shine in any of her subsequent outings.
She might appreciate the mile distance on Friday, though. The latter scored a Listed race in her seasonal debut and failed when pointed against G3 participants, but her most recent black-type performance wasn’t bad at all, as she ran in second just by a neck. Graham Motion sends in Belacqua (6.5-1), who spent her two-year-old campaign in the United Kingdom, bagging two Class 5 races, which at first sight shouldn’t be enough to threaten Haughty.
The last to mention is a maiden winner Irie Empress (25-1), who we cannot see as playing an impactful role here.
Penn Oaks Stakes Betting Prediction
Our Penn Oaks Free betting pick is Haughty; who ran a blinder in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf, and if she delivers even a slightly similar performance as in 2021, she should prevail on Friday.
| Horse | Jockey | 2022 Penn Oaks Stakes Odds by JazzSports |
| BELACQUA | J. ORTIZ | +650 |
| IRIE EMPRESS | D. HADDOCK | +2500 |
| MORNING MATCHA | K. CARMOUCHE | +1250 |
| HAUGHTY | F. PRAT | -200 |
| ALITTLELOVEANDLUCK | P. LOPEZ | +850 |
| CUSTOMER LIST | I. ORTIZ JR. | +325 |
Penn Mile Stakes
The lucrative purse of $400,000 lured in a field of eight three-year-olds who will cover the distance of a mile. After the 2021 edition was held on the dirt surface, in 2022, the G2 event returns to the turf with Annapolis (1-1) as the favorite.
The Todd Pletcher bound bay ran twice as a two-year-old, bagging his debut impressively, and then he scored also the G2 Pilgrim Stakes by a head. He hasn’t been out since, and the field he bettered in the mentioned G2 wasn’t a stellar one.
Still, he’s out of a G1 placed mare, and therefore, he not only needs to be respected here but also expected to prevail as Annapolis just has the pedigree to become a champ. However, he could be stopped by the biggest weight in the field, which some of his rivals might exploit. For example, it could be Red Danger (3.75-1) – the Brian Lynch trained chestnut that is much more experienced than Annapolis.
Recording 10 starts already, he bagged two Listed wins in 2021, and even though his performance in the G2 Bourbon Stakes was slightly disappointing, he was fourth in a large field back then. As a three-year-old, the son of Orb hasn’t shown anything of extra interest with the exception of running a fine second in a black-type.
He’s been looking like a decent Listed colt, but it won’t be a surprise if he reaches his career-best performance in Friday’s company. The Claude McGaughey III bound Fort Washinton (5.5-1) completes the trio of victory candidates as he has only four outings under his belt and could be capable of some further progress.
In 2021, he scored a maiden while as a three-year-old, he hasn’t won yet but placed in both Listed and black-type companies. The son of War Front simply could be a solid Graded performer in the future, and on Friday, he’s expected to affirm the statement.
Regarding the rest of the field, Witty (7.5-1) looks like an interesting contender. Trained by McLane Hendriks, the grey gelding hasn’t been worse than second in his four starts, in which he achieved two black-type successes.
Last time out, he was a runaway victor of the Spectacular Bid Stakes in Laurel Park, boasting some talent back then, and therefore, he could cause an upset on Friday. His odds look pretty generous, given he’s still at the beginning of his career and capable of improvement.
The last participant to talk about is George Weaver bound Ohtwoohthreefive (8.5-1), who is also about to tackle the Graded company for the first time. After winning a maiden at the fourth attempt in 2021, he was second in a black-type race on which he couldn’t draw in the ongoing season. However, his most recent run-in an Allowance was a promising one, and he might snatch up a fine place on Friday, too.
Penn Mile Stakes Betting Prediction
Our Penn Mile Stakes Free betting pick is Annapolis, whose pedigree suggests he should be good enough to score this G2 race. We’re also eager to see whether Witty will defy the horse racing odds and secure a good place.
| Horse | Jockey | 2022 Penn Mile Stakes Odds by JazzSports |
| ANNAPOLIS | I. ORTIZ JR. | +100 |
| WOW WHATA SUMMER | T. CONNER | +1100 |
| UNCAPTURED SPIRIT | A. SUAREZ | +1100 |
| OHTWOOHTREEFIVE | K. CARMOUCHE | +825 |
| NONEEDTOWORRY | S. GONZALEZ | +2000 |
| WITTY | C. CEDENO | +750 |
| RED DANGER | P. LOPEZ | +375 |
| FORT WASHINGTON | F. PRAT | +550 |
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