The all-but-unbeaten filly Catch A Glimpse will take on six male rivals Saturday in the $500,000 Penn Mile, a race that features a tough and evenly matched field.
After breaking her maiden second in her second lifetime start last year at Woodbine, the Mark Casse trainee Catch A Glimpse (2-1 ML) has been nothing short of outstanding, reeling off five consecutive graded-stakes victories at five different race tracks. She'll tackle her sixth surface on Saturday at Penn National, and there's nothing to say she can't get to the wire first this time as well. She had to put in some work to capture her latest, winning the (G3) Edgewood Stakes by only 3/4 length, but the cutback in distance here and good early speed should have her in solid contention.
She'll be facing another Casse trainee in Airoforce (7-2), one of the top juvenile turf runners of last year, who has had trouble getting on track in his three-year-old season. Beaten just by a neck as the favorite in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Airoforce came back from that one to win the (G1) Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, but has been winless in three starts in 2016. The mile should suit for him, and this appears to be a field where he can get back on the board. Maryland-bred Giant Run (6-1) has been competitive in lesser stakes at Gulfstream recently, with a win and two seconds in his last three starts.
OTB Pennsylvania Picks
1) Catch A Glimpse
2) Airoforce
3) Giant Run
The Grade 2 $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby features the two biggest names from the Triple Crown trail September 24 at Parx as a field of 12 gathers in one of the most intriguing betting races of the year.
The $1 million Cotillion Stakes September 24 at Parx features a true clash of the titans as the six-horse field is headlined by the undefeated, five-time grade 1 winner Songbird who figures to face the most stern challenge of her career.
In a completely wide open renewal of the Presque Isle Mile September 18 at Presque Isle Downs, 13 runners including the also-eligible will contest the eight furlong trip over synthetic footing.
Champion Songbird is set to make her much-anticipated return to the races in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Grade 2 event will be run at a mile and a sixteenth and has attracted a field of seven.
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