At Penn National, the price of poker is going up! For many years I have watched and wagered on the oval, and now it is finally seeing some relief. The purses are swelling, and I am sure this will be round one of many good things to come. So grab up your E-Z Win Forms as this will be a card you won’t want to miss!

 

Penn National

 

There is a 20% chance of rain, and the high should be in the 80’s.

 

Race #2 – The Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup – 5f on the turf – 6:28 p.m. ET

#4 – Kyma (8-1) = Dana Whitney in the irons for Brandon Kulp. 3/3 with wins over the Penn surface, and is 3/4 with wins on the green overall. He makes the second off the shelf move, and goes from poly to turf for this affair. If you look back one year ago, you will see that he was the long-shot winner of this very race.

#3 – Icon Ike (6-1) = Joel Rosario travels in for Larry Jones. This 4-yr-old colt was a beaten favorite last out at CD, and he is 11/14 overall on the weeds. Hot rider for a solid trainer, and we have a price that looks to be a part of the exotics.

#9 – Bridgetown (3-1) = John Velasquez is always knocking on the door, and was a beaten favorite last out. Todd Pletcher may be looking for a little payback, and he looks to hold off the ultra-tough Ben’s Cat from the 11 post. Catch him if you can…

 

Race #3 – The Mountainview Handicap – 1 1/8 – 6:56 p.m. ET

#1 – Rattlesnake Bridge (5-2) = John Velasquez in the saddle for Kiaran McLaughlin. This son of Tapit was off in 2012, and looks to rebound nicely this year. He ran third against Flat Out, and Cross Traffic last out. I see this being an up-swing for his upcoming efforts, and I would look for good things today.

 

Race #4 – The Penn Mile – $500,000 – 1 mile on the turf – 7:26 p.m. ET

#1 – Noble Tune (2-1) = J.J Castellano in the irons for trainer Chad Brown. A very talented colt by Unbridled’s Song, and cuts back in distance. Drops in off the G-2 win in the American Turf at CD, and this race looks to fit nicely. The rider knows how to win on the green, and if you get anywhere near 2-1, this is a good play. I would use the E-Z Win Forms to round out the gimmicks. The tier levels hold mega-value and you can light up the board with some sweet prices for big money.

 

Race #6 – The $50,000 Penn Dash – 5f – 8:22 p.m. ET

#4 – Candyman E (8-5) = Joe Bravo in the driver’s seat for Tony Dutrow (38%) at the meet. This son of Candy Ride has the “big three” handicapping facts in his corner: Drops down in class, cuts back in distance, and make the poly to dirt move. Bravo is an excellent reinsman, and should be trouble to deal with in here. The Dutrow factor has to be respected, and his numbers speak volumes. Once again, use the E-Z win Forms to make this 8-5 shot pay better in the exotics.

 

This is a very big night at Penn, and you will want to bring all of your handicapping ammo. If this track is not on your usual menu of tracks to play, don’t worry for a minute. Winning Ponies has your back, and the data has numbers to save the day. The E-Z Win Forms take all factors into account, and they pull out some solid prices to keep the payoffs growing.