Plenty of angles in Penn Mile

There are a lot of things to consider at Penn National on Saturday before the proceedings peak with the sixth running of the Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile at 7:45 p.m. Eastern.

First of all, the 11-race card begins at 3:45 p.m.

The day’s seven stakes are slotted as races 3 to 9. They begin with three Pennsylvania-bred stakes, include a pair of turf sprints, and the Penn Oaks, a one-mile grass race.

There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms through Saturday as the remnants of Subtropical Depression Alberto drift north. Eric Johnston, the director of racing at Penn, said every effort will be made to keep the five turf stakes on their intended surface and they will only be moved to dirt for safety reasons.

The Penn turf course has been preserved for the track’s biggest day of the year. Only four races have been run on it this season.

A pick four begins on race 6 and includes the inaugural Penn Ladies Dash – which replaces the Mountainview Handicap – the Penn Oaks, The Governor’s Cup, and the Penn Mile.

Christophe Clement won last year’s Penn Mile with Frostmourne, and this year he has entered Therapist, the likely second choice to Maraud. Mark Casse, winner of the 2016 Penn Mile with the filly Catch a Glimpse, is sending in He’s Bankable, who figures to set or contest the pace.

Maraud, who is trained by Todd Pletcher; Therapist; and California shipper Encumbered, who could be an overlay in the wagering, all are late-runners. If He’s Bankable is allowed to dictate the pace he could be dangerous.

Maraud won the Grade 3 Palm Beach at Gulfstream Park and is coming off a rallying victory over yielding ground in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

John Velazquez will ride.

Therapist has won 4 of his 5 starts. He got up to win the Cutler Bay on Florida Derby Day at Gulfstream Park and comes into this off a two-month break.

Irad Ortiz Jr. stays aboard.

Hawkish, who is trained by Jimmy Toner, scored a visually impressive optional-claiming win over easier rivals last time out. He has the tactical speed to take up position behind He’s Bankable, and Manny Franco should be able to work out a nice trip.

Encumbered will be making his 3-year-old debut for Santa Anita-based Simon Callaghan. His form is not as clear as the other contenders, but there were extenuating factors in his final two starts last year.

He defeated My Boy Jack in a maiden race and the Del Mar Juvenile Turf last summer. My Boy Jack came back to win the Zuma Beach on turf at Santa Anita and this year has won the Grade 3 Southwest and Grade 3 Lexington on dirt.

The Del Mar Juvenile Turf win prompted Callaghan to give Encumbered another try on dirt in the Grade 1 FrontRunner, but he never got untracked and finished sixth.

“We found he was a turf horse,” Callaghan said.

In his final race at 2, Encumbered stalked the pace to the stretch of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf but then backed up and finished 13th.

“He emptied out pretty quickly in the Breeders’ Cup and came out of the race a little sore,” Callaghan said. “We did a minor knee surgery on him and then gave him time off.

“He’s come back really good. He’s maturing, he’s fit, he’s ready. We think he’s this kind of horse.”

Mario Gutierrez keeps the mount.