The biggest night of horse racing at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course returns on June 3. The Penn Mile highlights an 11 race program that features six stake races. The purse for this year’s race is $400,000. Eric Johnston, Hollywood Casino’s Director of Racing Operations, fully expects the purse to reach $500,000 next year.
Where to bet on horse racing in PA
You can bet on the Penn Mile and other horse racing action:
- Online at TVG
- Hollywood Casino at PNRC and other off-track-betting locations.
2022 Penn Mile field and odds
Penn Mile (Grade 2) race for three-year-olds going one mile on the turf.
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd Pletcher | 9/5 |
| 2 | Wow Whata Summer | Tyler Conner | James Lawrence II | 12/1 |
| 3 | Uncaptured Spirit | Angel Suarez | Mark Shuman | 10/1 |
| 4 | Ohtwoohthreefive | Kendrick Carmouche | George Weaver | 8/1 |
| 5 | Noneedtoworry | Silvestre Gonzalez | Herold Wylie | 20/1 |
| 6 | Witty | Carol Cedeno | McLane Hendriks | 12/1 |
| 7 | Red Danger | Paco Lopez | Brian Lynch | 5/2 |
| 8 | Fort Washington | Flavien Prat | Shug McGaughey | 7/2 |
Handicapping the Penn Mile
The Penn Mile has a field of eight horses. When recruiting horses and jockeys to run the race, Johnston has to balance the quality and quantity of horses in the field.
“Oddly enough, the betting public likes to see the bigger field so it makes for a better opportunity for a large payout,” Johnston said. “What you don’t want is one horse that’s an absolute standout and then five horses that are good, or even great. Then you get into some interesting wagering patterns and it makes it difficult on the players’ behalf. You want a balanced field. You want a lot of great horses. That’s the perfect scenario.”
Need to brush up on horse racing knowledge? Horse Racing Nation lists the field with odds and opinions on how to bet the Penn Mile.
Blood Horse gives background of the horses and jockeys competing in the Penn Mile.
Full race card
- Penn Mile ($400,000 purse)
- Penn Oaks ($150,000 purse)
$100,000 Stakes Races:
- Anticipation
- Lyphard
- New Start
- Danzig
The first race starts at 5 p.m. with the Penn Mile expected to run at around 7:45 p.m.
Horse racing, fun and more at Hollywood Casino
Johnston is expecting between 4,000 and 5,000 people to be in attendance for the Penn Mile. As the race returned from a one-year hiatus in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnston saw an opportunity to move the race to a Friday instead of Saturday.
“In previous races I’ve held across the country, Friday’s have been a nice little niche and we’re looking to capture that group again. We’re not looking to compete with all of the big stakes in California and New York and Kentucky that will happen on a Saturday afternoon. We stay away from that and get the players coming in fresh into the weekend. They’re out there and get off work at 5 p.m. and looking for something to watch and bet on, we’re going to provide them that opportunity.”
Fans of all ages will be able to enjoy horse racing, food trucks, live music and concessions.
The action begins at 5 p.m. with an 11-race card. The Penn Mile is expected to run at about 7:45 p.m.
Lead image by Katie Kohler
