Zulu Kingdom Seeks To Continue 3-Year-Old Turf Reign In Penn Mile originally appeared on Paulick Report.

The card has been rescheduled twice due to large amounts of rain, but Mother Nature has finally relented to allow Penn National Racecourse in Grantville, Penn., to host its flagship Penn Mile card. The 11-race June 27 card, originally meant to be run on May 30, sees four stakes, including the $400,000, Grade 3 Penn Mile and the $150,000 Penn Oaks.

Going off as race six, the Penn Mile for 3-year-olds on grass drew eight horses, including G1 winner Zulu Kingdom from the Chad Brown barn, the morning-line favorite.

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Owned in partnership by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, William Strauss, and Michael Caruso, Zulu Kingdom is five for six overall and undefeated on the year. Last out a winner of the G1 American Turf, the son of Ten Sovereigns stalked the pace from fourth, which was set by fellow Penn Mile entrant Mi Bago, and passed a tiring Mi Bago to win by 1 ¼ lengths.

Zulu Kingdom won the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in his seasonal debut and was the most respected of the American-based contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (where he ultimately finished seventh). Zulu Kingdom will be guided by jockey Flavien Prat from post 7.

Between the American Turf and the Penn Mile, morning-line second-choice Mi Bago was second in the off-turf Pennine Ridge, which Zulu Kingdom scratched out of when it was moved to the main track. The Mark Casse-trained and Gary Barber-owned son of Vekoma had a successful winter at Gulfstream Park, winning three stakes in this division.

Trainer Mike Maker’s Out on Bail makes his two-turn debut in the Penn Mile. A son of Tiz the Law out of a Street Cry mare, his pedigree indicates he can go further than the 5 ½ furlongs at which six of his seven starts have been run. In his 2025 debut, Out on Bail was second in the 5 ½-furlong William Walker Stakes by a half length. Out on Bail will break from post 5 under Manny Franco for owners Case Chambers, Paradise Farm Corp., and David Staudacher.

The morning-line favorite in the Penn Oaks is trainer Graham Motion’s undefeated filly Laurelin. The daughter of Zarak has won all three career starts, all at Aqueduct. In her 3-year-old debut, she won the turf mile Memories of Silver Stakes by a neck in determined fashion in April. As a 2-year-old, she won the Tepin Stakes, also over a turf mile, by a half length over future Gulfstream Park Oaks winner Five G. Regular jockey Kendrick Carmouche comes in to ride for owners Newstead Stables LLC.

Also on the card is the $75,000 Alphabet Soup Handicap for Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds and older over 1 1/16 miles on turf, and the $75,000 Lyphard Stakes for 3-year-olds and older fillies and mares under the same conditions.

This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.