Dettori rallies First World War to win by a nose in Penn Mile

First World War made a wide turn into the stretch under jockey Frankie Dettori and made up 2 1/2 lengths to eke out a nose victory in stakes-record time Friday in the Grade 3, $400,000 Penn Mile covering two turns on the turf at Penn National.

It was one of the two wins Dettori had riding for the first time at the southeast Pennsylvania track. He also piloted 9-5 favorite Poolside With Slim to a head triumph in the $150,000 Penn Oaks one race earlier.

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Sent off for trainer Brendan Walsh as the third choice in the field of nine 3-year-olds, First World War (3-1) was forced to check between rivals in the first 150 yards. Dettori settled the War Front colt into mid-pack up the backstretch, getting within two lengths of pacesetter Set (6-1) before the second turn.

That was where Dettori angled First World War three wide before swinging out to the middle of the firm turf for the run home. Post-time favorite Trikari (2-1) was four wide when he and Umberto Rispoli inherited the lead in the last three-sixteenths of a mile. Aspenite (17-1) with Cristian Torres up saved ground to make his charge along the rail. Dettori timed First World War’s closing move perfectly to get the bob of the nose at the finish line.

In victory, First World War paid $8.80, $4.80 and $3.20. Aspenite finished second and returned $14.20 and $7.00. Trikari was another neck back in third and paid $2.80. Good Lord (2-1), Set, Please Advise (14-1), Freedom Principle (19-1), I Know Map (82-1) and Tropandhagen (99-1) finished fourth through ninth in that order.

The winning time was a record 1:33.50 for a race that had its 11th running since it was established in 2013. It was 0.38 seconds off the track record set by Thunder Brew in winning the 2010 Capital City Stakes. The early fractions Friday were 23.09, 46.31 and 1:09.56.

Bought as a yearling for $285,000, First World War is owned by Qatar Racing and Hunter Valley Farm. Coming off a ninth-place finish April 5 in the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland, his most recent win had come Feb. 3 in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Friday’s race represented a cutback from those 1 1/16-mile turf tests.

First World War is 7: 3-2-0 with a turf record of 5: 3-0-0. Adding Friday’s $230,400, his purse earnings total $501,713.