Penn National Picks & Best Bets – Featuring the Penn Mile Friday, June, 27 2025
Penn National Race 3 Lyphard Stakes
8 Lady Out of the Blue hasn’t seen race day in over 7 months but has been training well for her return. Mare is a 3-time winner here at Penn National. This gal won a local Stakes here last year on a yielding turf course. With rain in the forecast, the turf again will have some give in it which this gal relishes. She’s a great value at 8-1.
11 Princess Javonica pressed an honest last out and faded in the stretch drive to finish 5th beaten by just under 4 lengths. Not a bad effort considering this 8-year-old was making her first start off a long layoff. She sports some of the highest turf speed figures of this group and should move forward in her second start off the bench. Win Contender
12 Anoint is a stone-cold closer who likely gets an ideal setup today. Live Longhot
Selections 8-11-12-10
Penn National Race 4 Alphabet Soup Handicap
5 Bartlett appears to be the speed of the speed in here. He took a salty group of Grade 3 types a long way in the Hill Prince Stakes before fading in the stretch drive, two races back. Gelding disappointed in most recent start in the mud at Laurel. If this John Servis trainee breaks well and gets the lead, I believe he can take this bunch gate-to-wire today. Win Contender
4 Fierce and Strong is a horse for the course angle in here having made 5 trips to the winner’s circle in 7 starts at Penn National. Don’t leave this son of Hoppertunity off your tickets. Win Contender
9 Eff Thirty Five ships in via Laurel with some of the best turf speed figures of this group. Gelding has run well at Penn and sports some of the best late pace numbers versus his competition here. If the pace heats up early, I love this one’s chances late in the stretch run. Major Threat
Selections 5-4-9-6
Penn National Race 5 Penn Oaks
4 Reining Flowers returned from a near 6-month layoff and ran a disappointing 3rd in a Stakes at Indiana Horseshoe in the mud. Filly gets back on the turf today and makes her second start off the layoff for trainer John Ortiz. Filly ran 4th in the Tepin Stakes despite a troubled trip, losing to the likely favorite in here, Laurelin. This Filly offers a great value as she’s 8-1 on the morning line. Win Contender
9 Laurelin is unbeaten in 3 career starts for trainer Graham Motion, including back-to-back Stakes victories. This gal continues to move forward in each consecutive start, recently running a career-best 92 Bris number. She’ll be tough to beat in here. Win Contender
3 Love You Anyway ran a respectable 5th as a Maiden in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks down in Tampa. Filly followed that effort up with a maiden-breaking score at Keeneland. Don’t sleep on this 450k son of Tapit. Major Player
Selections 4-9-3-5
Penn National Race 6 Penn Mile Grade 3
7 Zulu Kingdom has won 5 of 6 Lifetime starts, which includes the Grade 1 American Turf. This Irish-bred’s only loss came in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in which his jockey lost the whip. I expect this Roan to dominate this field today. Top Pick
4 Mi Bago is the controlling speed in here and if left alone on the front end, it could spell trouble for the rest of the field. All 5 of this Colt’s Lifetime wins have been when he is forwardly placed. Major Player
1 States’ Rights rarely runs a bad race. Colt has a nice late turn of foot and has shown he is not pace dependent, as he has been able to close into a tepid fractions. His chances for victory escalates if the early pace is hot. Don’t Ignore