The Grade 2, $500,000 Penn Mile, which tops an eight-stakes program at Penn National on Saturday, drew a field of nine Wednesday.

First post on Penn Mile Day is 2:45 p.m. The undercard includes the $200,000 Penn Oaks and six $100,000 stakes. Four of the stakes are part of the MATCH Series.

The known commodity in the Penn Mile is the consistent A Thread of Blue, who races for Leonard Green and is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. He has put together a 4-2-1 record from eight starts with wins in the Dania Beach and Grade 3 Palm Beach at Gulfstream Park. In his most recent race, the Grade 2 American Turf on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs, he was reeled in on the lead by Digital Age and finished second, beaten three-quarters of a length.

A Thread of Blue will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 2.

Questions surround many of the other members of the lineup.

Forty Under was second best in his 3-year-old debut to Clint Maroon – who is entered in the $200,000 Peninne Ridge at Belmont Park Saturday. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, he will likely take a step forward having had a race. Last year at 2, Forty Under won the Grade 3 Pilgrim and finished sixth of 14 in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Real News was nailed in deep stretch after setting the pace in the one-mile James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico two weeks ago for Al Stall Jr. while making his first start beyond 5 1/2 furlongs.

Moon Colony will be coming off a 4 1/2-month layoff for Mark Casse after finishing fifth, beaten two lengths, in the Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream Park.

And, Fluminense will be stretching out and switching to turf for Steve Asmussen off a six-furlong main-track allowance win at Churchill.

The complete field, in post-position order, is Moon Colony, Julien Leparoux; A Thread of Blue; Casa Creed, Junior Alvarado riding for Bill Mott; Real News, Ty Kennedy; Forty Under, Manny Franco; The Black Album, Kendrick Carmouche up for Rodolphe Brisset; Empire of War, Trevor McCarthy aboard for Todd Pletcher; Conative, Forest Boyce riding for Marat Kozhomzharov; and Fluminense, Edwin Gonzalez.