BC Mile

Miesque’s Approval shocks in Mile (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com)

Live Oak Plantation’s homebred MIESQUE’S APPROVAL (Miesque’s Son) slammed an
international field to upset Saturday’s $1,987,720
Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1),
capping his remarkable renaissance this season in the hands of trainer Marty Wolfson. In the process, the seven-year-old bay evoked memories of his sire’s
dam, the brilliant French miler Miesque, a two-time winner of this event whose
second trophy came in 1988 over the same turf at Churchill Downs. Rating well
off the early pace of :23 1/5 and :46 3/5 and swung wide for the stretch drive
by Eddie Castro, Miesque’s Approval displayed an electrifying turn of foot to
sail past his better fancied foes by 2 3/4 lengths, stopping the teletimer in 1:34 3/5 on the
firm turf. 

Aragorn (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway) appeared well beaten at the top of the lane,
but finished with grim energy late to grab second by a head from Badge of Silver (Silver
Deputy) at the wire. Sleeping Indian (GB) (Indian Ridge) checked in fourth,
followed by Rob Roy (Lear Fan), early pacesetter Silent Name (Jpn) (Sunday
Silence), Gorella (Fr) (Grape Tree Road [GB]), Aussie Rules (Danehill), 3-1
favorite Araafa (Ire) (Mull of Kintyre), Librettist (Danzig), Free Thinking (Unbridled),
Super Frolic (Pine Bluff), Ad Valorem (Danzig) and Echo of Light (GB) (Dubai
Millennium).

Unheralded at 24-1, the winner returned $50.60, $17.20 and $10.40, keying
exotics worth $246 (exacta), $4,781.60 (trifecta) and $98,585.40 (10-7-8-4
superfecta). The 4-1 Aragorn yielded $5.80 and $4.40, with Badge of Silver
giving back $9.80 to show at 14-1.