Full Speed Ahead for Annapolis in Penn Mile

There is very much a New York component to the $400,000 Penn Mile (G2T) June 3 at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pa.

Topping the field is Bass Racing's Annapolis , perfect in two starts last year on turf at Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park, and two of his seven rivals also travel from the Empire State—stakes-placed runners Ohtwoohthreefive  and Fort Washington . Even the jockey colony has an infusion of New York-based riders for the evening in Irad Ortiz Jr., Kendrick Carmouche, and Flavien Prat.

Annapolis, trained by Todd Pletcher, took the Pilgrim Stakes (G2T) by a head last year at Belmont after a debut victory at Saratoga by 4 1/2 lengths, both under Ortiz. The homebred son of War Front   was then pointed to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar last fall, only to miss the race due to chips in a hind ankle.

He has been breezing steadily for Pletcher at Palm Beach Downs and later Belmont leading up to his return. He breaks from post 1 in the Penn Mile under Ortiz.

James Politano's Ohtwoohthreefive, trained by George Weaver, and Allen Stable and Peter Brant's Fort Washington may hold a fitness edge over Annapolis, having already started a couple of times this year. Carmouche is aboard Ohtwoohthreefive, while Prat rides Fort Washington for trainer Shug McGaughey, who like Pletcher, is a Hall of Famer.

Other contenders include Silverton Hill's Red Danger  and Elizabeth Merryman's Witty , both stakes winners. Witty is a dual stakes winner on dirt in the Midlantic, while Red Danger took the 2021 Pulpit Stakes in December on turf at Gulfstream Park and the 2021 Global Tote Juvenile Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs last September.

Brian Lynch trains Red Danger, who finished seventh most recently in the American Turf Stakes Presented by BMW (G2T) at Churchill Downs on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) undercard May 7. He is 3-2-0 in 10 starts with earnings of $486,182.

Witty, trained by McLane Hendriks, is untested on turf or around two turns but has won three straight dirt sprints after a debut second at Laurel Park in September. The gelded son of Great Notion   first captured a maiden race by 4 3/4 lengths at Parx Racing Oct. 25 before rolling by 5 1/2 lengths in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes there Dec. 7 and by 7 3/4 lengths in the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Laurel Jan. 29.

He has recorded a pair of easy half-mile breezes at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland after nearly a one-month gap in his published workouts earlier this spring.

Produced from the Congrats mare Zeezee Zoomzoom , he is a half brother to graded-winning turf sprinter Caravel  (Mizzen Mast ). Regular rider Carol Cedeno is aboard.

Entries: Penn Mile S. (G2T)

Penn National Race Course, Friday, June 03, 2022, Race 6

• Grade IIT
• 1m
• Turf
• $400,000
• 3 yo
• 7:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Annapolis (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Todd A. Pletcher	9/5
2	2Wow Whata Summer (KY)	Tyler Conner	116	James L. Lawrence, II	12/1
3	3Uncaptured Spirit (FL)	Angel Suarez	116	Mark Shuman	10/1
4	4Ohtwoohthreefive (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	116	George Weaver	8/1
5	5Noneedtoworry (KY)	Silvestre Gonzalez	116	Herold O. Whylie	20/1
6	6Witty (PA)	Carol Cedeno	118	McLane Hendriks	12/1
7	7Red Danger (KY)	Paco Lopez	116	Brian A. Lynch	5/2
8	8Fort Washington (KY)	Flavien Prat	116	Claude R. McGaughey III	7/2