Trikari will be much shorter price in Penn Mile

Fresh off a 47-1 upset victory in Churchill’s Grade 2 American Turf on May 4, Trikari is listed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite in Friday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on grass at Penn National.

“It wasn’t necessarily my original plan,” trainer Graham Motion said about the Penn Mile. “But I feel like he’s done well in the month since Churchill. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

After finishing last of 12 in his debut at Keeneland, Trikari has done little wrong, winning 3 of 4 starts. In the run preceding the American Turf, he captured the Rushaway over Turfway’s all-weather surface.

“We don’t take horses to Keeneland or Saratoga first time out if we don’t like them,” Motion added. “He ran green that day. He has developed into really a big, strapping, attractive horse.”

Both First World War and Aspenite were entered in the Caesars at Horseshoe Indianapolis on May 15, but that program was abandoned due to heavy rain.

First World War was a pace-prompting winner of Gulfstream’s Grade 3 Kitten’s Joy on Feb. 3. In his sole subsequent outing, the War Front colt finished ninth in the Grade 3 Transylvania on April 5 at Keeneland.

“The ground was a little soft that day,” trainer Brendan Walsh said. “I think he needs good, fast ground.”

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Frankie Dettori picks up the mount on First World War, who “likes to be prominent,” according to Walsh. “He’s run all his best races when he’s within a length or two of the lead. We’ll try to sit off the leaders and hopefully come with a run.”

Aspenite stretches out on turf for the first time since wiring the field in the $500,000 Juvenile at Kentucky Downs. Off the board in his last two starts sprinting on turf in Kentucky, Aspenite removes blinkers for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Unbeaten Good Lord Lorrie returned from a lengthy layoff to down six others in Aqueduct’s Woodhaven for trainer George Weaver. With Weaver provisionally suspended, Peter Gulyas is the trainer of record for Good Lord Lorrie, as well as uncoupled stablemate Please Advise, a stakes-winning sprinter last year for Weaver. Please Advise finished third in Gulfstream’s English Channel in his seasonal debut earlier in the month.

Set won his first two starts over the winter at Gulfstream by racing close to the pace. He failed to obtain his usual forward position in the American Turf after bobbling at the start and winding up last on the backstretch.

Freedom Principle, a stakes winner on both Tapeta and turf at Gulfstream, ships out of Florida for the first time after rallying from off a fast pace to take the English Channel.

Maiden winner Tropandhagen should be part of the pace picture. Dancing Groom, Grade 1-placed on dirt last year, finished sixth when making his turf debut in the English Channel.

I Know Map tries turf for the first time. A half-sister was a stakes winner on the surface, while his dam was stakes-placed on turf.

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