Penn National Picks & Predictions — June 24, 2026
It's a beautiful Wednesday at Penn National — clear skies, 80 degrees, and zero weather excuses for anyone who goes home a loser. Seven races are on the board today, and the card has a little something for every kind of player: sprint claimers, a pair of turf routes, and a starter allowance that should draw a competitive field.
One of the more interesting storylines today is the concentration of turf races to kick things off. The first three races all go on the grass, which means pace scenarios and surface preferences are going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting early. If you've got horses that love a firm, fast turf on a clear summer day, today's conditions are about as good as it gets at Penn.
Best Bets
Race 1
Claiming · 5 fur · Turf
One horse stands miles above the field on the TrackWiz ratings in this short turf sprint, but the morning line suggests the crowd already knows it — the real question is whether the price holds up.
New York Strong is the clear top-rated horse in this field with a TrackWiz rating of 88.54 — more than 36 points clear of the next rival. Trainer Panagiotis Synnefias sends him out at 2/1 on the morning line, and jockey Julio Hernandez gets the call. The career win percentage of 5% is worth noting, but ratings-driven form often tells a different story than raw win numbers, and his average speed of 54 leads the field. At the shortest price in the race, he's the one to beat on paper.
Stop Being Greedy draws gate 6 and brings a solid average speed of 55 — the best in the field — which matters in a 5-furlong turf dash where early foot is crucial. Trainer Jennifer Shannon puts Inoel Beato in the irons, and a 3/1 morning line suggests some public respect. A TrackWiz rating of 52.41 makes her a legitimate threat to fill the exacta.
Hephepcutdownnets comes in at 7/2 on the morning line with trainer Robert Mosco, and a rating of 50.99 puts him solidly in the middle tier of this field. The 10% career win rate is modest, but in a turf sprint this short, a horse with tactical speed and some experience can easily sneak a share. He's a logical exotics anchor at a fair price.
Race 2
Allowance · 1 1/16 mi · Turf
A competitive allowance mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf with three horses clustered between 73 and 86 on the TrackWiz scale — this one sets up as a genuine three-way battle where pace scenario and turf form could be the tiebreaker.
Coloma tops the TrackWiz ratings at 85.62 and brings a 30% career win rate — the best winning percentage in this field by a significant margin. Trainer Bruce Kravets pairs him with David Cora, a combo worth tracking at Penn National. At 4/1 on the morning line, there's genuine value here for a horse whose numbers suggest he should be closer to even money.
Chillhouse rates second in the field at 80.69 with a 16% career win rate and an average speed of 54, matching the field average at a distance that rewards tactical runners. Trainer Brandon Kulp puts Angel Rodriguez up, and at 4/1 morning line, he offers a similar price to the top pick with slightly less downside risk. He's the natural place horse in a race where the favorite could face a pace test.
Ramses the Great is the morning line favorite at 2/1, and while TrackWiz rates him third in the field at 73.75, his connections clearly feel good about this spot. A 16% career win rate at this distance type and an average speed of 54 make him a threat to hit the board even if he can't quite get to Coloma. He's a strong show play and a necessary exotic inclusion.
Race 3
Claiming · 1 mi · Turf
A sprawling 12-horse turf claiming mile that looks like a complete chaos race on paper, but one horse has a rating gap wide enough to cut through the traffic — if he gets a clean trip.
Nilambar carries a TrackWiz rating of 85.62 in what is otherwise a muddled field — the next closest rival, Double Miles, rates 62.40, a gap of over 23 points. Trainer Bruce Kravets, who's already live in Race 2, doubles up here with David Cora in the irons. The 11% career win rate is modest, but average speed of 54 matches the top of this group. In a field this size, trip luck matters, but the form edge is hard to ignore.
Double Miles breaks from post 3 with Paco Lopez — an experienced rider who knows how to navigate big fields — and a 20% career win rate that stands out in this bunch. His TrackWiz rating of 62.40 is second best in the field, and the 6/1 morning line makes him a sneaky value play in the exacta. Trainer Michael Simone puts a capable horse in a winnable spot.
Apollo Eleven is the public's second choice at 5/2 morning line, trained by Brandon Kulp, who is active throughout this card. A 16% career win rate and a rating of 58.65 make him a borderline top-three finisher, and the 5/2 price suggests the bettors see more than the TrackWiz numbers show. He's worth including underneath in trifectas as a reliable threat to hit the board.
Our top-rated pick across the entire card is New York Strong in Race 1 — an 88.54 TrackWiz rating leading this 5-furlong turf sprint at a very reasonable 2/1 morning line. That rating is the highest on the card, and the short turf sprint format tends to reward horses with tactical speed and clean recent form, both of which our models flagged here. Don't sleep on Coloma (Race 2) and Nilambar (Race 3) either — both come in at 85.62 ratings and both are stretching out on the turf, which is where pace dynamics and trip luck can flip results in a hurry.
The common thread through the free races today is turf surface at multiple distances. Keep an eye on ground-saving trips in the early going — on a clear, warm day at Penn National, the rail isn't always where you want to be in turf routes once the footing compacts. Horses with the ability to rate and make one sustained run tend to thrive in these conditions.
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Today at Penn National shapes up as a solid mid-week card with genuine angles throughout. New York Strong is the play to beat on the free side, and the full-card picture gets even more compelling once you factor in pace dynamics in the dirt races. Subscribers can access the complete analysis — pace projections, exotic tickets, and all seven races — right now. Good luck out there, and as always, bet responsibly.