Regal Glory strong favorite in Penn Oaks
2017 Penn Oaks winner Dynatail. Photo by The Racing Biz.
Saturday’s $200,000 Penn Oaks field is an only modestly accomplished one — at this point — and looks to run directly through the favorite, Regal Glory, who is 6-5 on the morning line.
The $200,000 Oaks, for three-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf, is carded as race 10 of 12 with a post time of 7:15 p.m. It is followed by the $500,000, Grade 2 Penn Mile.
Regal Glory narrowly won the Stewart Manor Stakes last November at Aqueduct. She has since run second in a pair of graded events, the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant in February at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 2 Appalachian at Keeneland in April. She is showing four works since that last race, including a bullet half-mile on May 11 at the Saratoga training track.
The only other runner in the group to own a stakes win is Ujjayi (6-1), who is cross-entered in the $100,000 New Start Stakes for PA-breds earlier on the card.
PENN OAKS FIELD
- Jennifer’s Dream (15-1): Early promise has evaporated with a trio of dismal starts, beaten by a combined total of more than 80 lengths in her last three races… Daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is out of the millionaire Joyful Victory, who ran second in her only turf try… Trainer John Servis just 9% with turf runners in the last five years… Must show more than she ever has to compete with these…
- Remarkable Soul (4-1): Main track only
- Turko Treat (20-1): Only win came at the maiden claiming $16,000 level… Ran fifth in only turf try, versus never-two claiming sorts… Would be a major surprise…
- Ujjayi (6-1): Likely to pick dirt sprint spot over this one… Tired badly in only one-mile try, on the main track… Owns a stake win, in the $100,000 Ruthless at the Big A… Was never much involved in lone turf try, the $100,000 Mizdirection going six furlongs at Aqueduct, despite coming under a busy ride midway on the turn… Best shot may be to go the lead and hope for the best… Local stalwart Tyler Conner will ride…
- Alasaayil (7-2): Two-back maiden score produced three next-out winners, including the third- and fourth-place finishers… Last out pressed graded stakes-placed Princesa Carolina for three quarters but could not stay with her, finishing third… Seems to be on the improve and should be forwardly placed early under Leparoux…
- Ionic (3-1): Nothing wrong with this Delacour trainee’s two starts to date, which have yielded a win and a second, the latter coming after a bit of a challenging trip in which she was wrangled back early, floated wide into the first turn, and three wide on the second before missing by a nose after a long duel… The bad news: the winner Souper Escape, ran last of 10 at 35-1 in her follow-up in the Hilltop Stakes… Lightly raced sort has plenty of upside… Regular pilot Daniel Centeno is up; he and trainer combine to win 30% of the time…
- Regal Glory (6-5): Can’t fault what this miss has done to date… A daughter of Animal Kingdom, she has two wins and two seconds from four starts… Note that in her last she finished a couple of lengths in front of Princess Carolina, who returned to beat #5 in her follow-up… Under a hammerlock early in her last, she had to pick her way through traffic before finding a seam and running on well late in a solid effort… Here’s a stat: trainer Chad Brown is 21-for-42 in the last two years when sending out the post-time favorite in ungraded stakes, which he’s almost certain to do here — 50%…
- Afleet Destiny (12-1): It’ll be first time on the turf for this Hard Spun filly… Trainer Uriah St. Lewis is 1-for-49 on the grass in the last five years, including 0-for-17 first time on the lawn… This Hard Spun filly has had her moments, the best of which was a (distant) runner-up effort in the G2 Demoiselle in December, but she has not gone on as a sophomore to date… If the closing sort takes to the grass, and gets a good pace scenario, and if a couple of these stub their toes, and jock Manny Franco works out a trip… then she might have a chance to make noise, but that’s a lot of ifs…
