by John Scheinman, from a Penn National release
[boxify cols_use =”3″ cols =”5″ position =”right” box_spacing =”5″ padding =”3″ background_color =”gray” background_opacity =”10″ border_width =”1″ border_color =”blue” border_style =”dashed” height =”450″ ]$100,000 PENN OAKS
May 31, 2014
Race 1 – Post time 6:00pm EST
Fillies 3YO, 1 Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
- Ready to Act, Javier Castellano, 121, Chad C. Brown
- Ready’s Legend, Christopher P. DeCarlo, 115, Todd A. Pletcher
- Je Suis Enchantee, William P. Otero, 115, Clovis Crane
- Aurelia’s Belle, Robby J. Albarado, 117, Wayne M. Catalano
- Devilwentogeorgia, Jose Delgadillo, 115, Murray L. Rojas
- Interrupted, Angel Serpa, 115, H. Graham Motion
- Famous Alice, Gary L. Stevens, 115, Thomas F. Proctor
- Paloma P, Willie Martinez, 115, Eric R. Reed[/boxify]
WinStar Farm’s Ready to Act, winner last time out of the Grade 2 Beaumont on the Keeneland Polytrack, is the 7-5 morning-line favorite to win the inaugural running of the $100,000 Penn Oaks for 3-year-old fillies Saturday night at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.
The Penn Oaks, at a mile on the turf, kicks off an All Stakes Pick 4 as the opening race on the card at 6:00 p.m. EST. The Pick 4 climaxes with the second running of the $500,000 Penn Mile, one of the richest turf races for 3-year-olds in the country.
The gray or roan daughter of More Than Ready also won the $100,000 Sweet Chant Stakes at the Penn Oaks distance two races back in January at Gulfstream Park. 2013 Eclipse Award-winning rider Javier Castellano picks up the mount on Ready to Act for trainer Chad Brown.
Ready to Act figures to be be tough to beat. She ran in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last year at Santa Anita, finishing sixth, but in that effort she raced just off the pace. In the Sweet Chant and Beaumont, she showed the ability to relax and take back – a tactic that may again serve her well come Saturday night.
The main rival for Ready to Act in the Penn Oaks will likely be Famous Alice, a Tom Proctor-trained runner who will have the services of Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens. The 9-5 second choice is coming off a powerful 2 1/4-length victory in an $80,000 optional-claiming allowance at Santa Anita at the same one mile distance she’ll face on Saturday.
“She’s a nice Kitten’s Joy filly,” said Proctor, who has a thing about different-colored offspring of Kitten’s Joy. “When you’re handicapping, you want a funky looking bay one, not a red one.”
Trainer Todd Pletcher has entered Starlight Racing’s Ready’s Legend, like Ready to Act a daughter of More Than Ready, and she is 10-1 on the morning line.
She has won two of her seven starts, all on grass, and finished fifth in her most recent effort against older fillies at Gulfstream Park.
“We’re hoping getting her back in with straight 3-year-olds will do her well,” Pletcher said. “She did badly in her last start, and we’re getting her back in with her own kind and hoping to pick up some black type.”
Jockey Chris DeCarlo has the call on Ready’s Legend.
Interrupted, third last out in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks, is 6-1 on the morning line for trainer Graham Motion. The third in the Florida Oaks was the first defeat for the Pin Oak Stud homebred after starting her career with a pair of wins over the Laurel Park turf course in 2013.
Long shots Paloma P, Je Suis Enchantee and Devilwenttogeorgia complete the field.
Aurelia’s Belle, winner of the Grade 3 Bourbonette Oaks earlier this year and last seen finishing ninth in the Kentucky Oaks, is expected to scratch.
(Featured image, of Rydilluc winning last year’s Penn Mile, by B & D Photography.)
