Friday’s $150,000 Penn Oaks, the supporting feature to the Grade 3 Penn Mile at Penn National, has drawn a well-matched field of nine sophomore fillies set to contest one mile over the turf. Scheduled as Race 5 on an 11-race twilight card, the Penn Oaks boasts a diverse group with international flair, proven stakes runners, and several rising stars from elite barns. First post is 5:00 p.m., with the Oaks expected to go off at 7:10.

All eyes will be on Laurelin (3-1), who brings a perfect 3-for-3 record into her stakes return for trainer Graham Motion. The Irish-bred daughter of Zarak has impressed each time out, most recently with a hard-fought win in the $150,000 Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct, where she prevailed by a neck. With regular pilot Kendrick Carmouche aboard and post 9 potentially testing her positioning, Laurelin enters as the likely favorite—but far from a lock.

Trainer Mark Casse, aiming for a big evening with four total entries in this event and the Penn Mile, sends out two strong contenders. Bessie Abott (8-1), an Irish-bred daughter of Kuroshio, was a well-beaten second behind Dynamic Queen in the off-the-turf Wonder Again earlier this month. She’ll get top pilot Irad Ortiz Jr. up and figures to appreciate returning to the turf.

Casse’s Candy Quest (5-1) has run strong races in back-to-back stakes, including a narrow second in the Sanibel Island at Gulfstream two back and a decent fourth last out behind Laurelin. Javier Castellano has the mount.

Chad Brown counters with a promising pair as well. Accent (8-1), a British-bred by Pinatubo, looked sharp in her lone start when winning a Tampa maiden in April. She gets Flavien Prat in the irons and drew well on the rail, though she faces a big class jump. Her stablemate Midway Memories (6-1) also enters off a maiden win, at Aqueduct, and may have more upside than her modest resume suggests; she’s a half-sister to Grade 1 Blue Grass winner Zandon.

Another filly worth watching is Love You Anyway (7-2), who broke her maiden stylishly at Keeneland in April after a respectable fifth in the Grade 3 Florida Oaks behind the now five-time winner Nitrogen. Trained by George “Rusty” Arnold and owned by Bregman Family Racing, she brings a good balance of seasoning and talent. Axel Concepcion will ride.

Reining Flowers (8-1) has been a consistent performer for trainer John Ortiz, in the money in six of seven career starts, including a third last out in the off-the-turf Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap. She was previously bested by Laurelin in the Tepin but fits on form and gets John Velazquez aboard.

Love and Poetry (6-1), for trainer Cherie DeVaux, comes off a third in a tough N1X allowance at Churchill Downs. Two back, she rallied into contention in the Lacombe Memorial, briefly leading before finishing second. Jose Ortiz will ride, and the duo will leave from post eight.

The field is rounded out by Pure Majestic (50-1), the most experienced entrant with 11 starts. Though she was far back in the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico last out, she did notch a stakes win last fall in the Selima at Laurel. She’ll need a career-best effort to threaten here.

PENN OAKS ENTRIES