Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile

BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE (G1),
7TH-SA, $1,000,000, 3YO/UP, 1M, 6:05PM, 10-31

by Jennifer Caldwell

GOLDENCENTS managed to wire last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile from the far
outside 11 post position, and drawing the inside rail on Monday merely enhances
his chances of doing the same exact thing on Friday for a second straight win in
the eight-furlong contest. Fast tracks on big race days are a familiar
occurrence, another thing that will prove beneficial to the Into Mischief
four-year-old and another reason to pick him on top.

1ST — Goldencents will have fewer starts under his girth entering Friday’s
Dirt Mile than he did in 2013. Normally trained by Doug O’Neill but running in the name
of Leandro Mora while his conditioner serves a suspension, the bay colt has
competed in just four races this year as compared with 10 last season.

Goldencents has been unplaced just four times from 17 career starts, with all
but three of them coming in 2013 while on the Triple Crown trail. His only other
non-top three finish came when shipping to Aqueduct for the Grade 1 Cigar Mile
Handicap just 29 days following his Dirt Mile win last year.

The Kentucky-bred was seventh in the Cigar Mile and given plenty of time to recover,
not making his four-year-old bow until June 7 at Belmont Park in the Grade 1
Metropolitan Handicap. He ran second in the Met Mile while sticking close to the leader
throughout, and filled the same spot in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby going six
furlongs on July 27 after returning to California.

Goldencents earned his first win of 2014 when wiring the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien
by 4 1/4 lengths at seven-eighths on August 24, and enters the Dirt Mile off a
nose second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship while reverting to
six panels.

Using sprints may not be the most traditional way of winning a one-mile race,
but it proved successful 12 months ago when Goldencents finished second in the
Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien and Sprint Championship to prepare for the Dirt Mile.
His BRIS Speed ratings have stayed about the same for those events, and jockey
Rafael Bejarano stays in the saddle, as well.

Even at 6-5 morning-line favorite on Friday, it’s hard to go against Goldencents.

2ND — Goldencents may be the top pick, but the second and third choices
could each go off at good odds, based on their morning-line.

VICAR’S IN TROUBLE, who was installed at 12-1 for the Dirt Mile, is following
in Goldencents’ hoofsteps in that he’ll enter the Dirt Mile after competing on
the Triple Crown trail over the spring.

The Mike Maker pupil captured the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby to earn his shot at
Kentucky Derby
glory, but suffered his only off-the-board run to date when last of 19 in the 1
1/4-mile classic.

Vicar’s in Trouble was given about two months to recover from his Derby
preparations and returned in late June to run third in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby.
He followed that with another third in the Grade 2 West Virginia Derby on August
2, but broke through with a 7 1/4-length romp in the Grade 2 Super Derby a month
later.

The dark bay son of Into Mischief used the Grade 2 Indiana Derby as his final
prep for the Dirt Mile, finishing a good second in that 8 1/2-furlong contest
while competing at his seventh different track. Santa Anita Park will make it
eight tracks in 11 career starts, and the sophomore will have John Velazquez in
the irons for the first time as Rosie Napravnik has chosen to pilot Tapiture
instead.

3RD — CARVE has never competed at less than a mile in his career, and at
that particular distance just twice, but the gelding could be in the right spot
to pounce at 15-1 on the morning-line if the front-running Goldencents and
Vicar’s in Trouble burn themselves out.

Conditioned by Brad Cox, Carve’s two one-mile efforts came this year when
winning an optional claimer by 3 3/4 lengths at
Churchill Downs and
finishing second in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Handicap back under the Twin Spires on
September 6. The four-year-old son of First Samurai earned his first stakes
credit on June 28, taking the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and
he quickly added the West Virginia Governor’s Stakes to his resume next out.

Carve was fifth last out in the Homecoming Classic at Churchill under Jesus
Castanon but gets Mike Smith, aboard for his one-mile optional claiming score,
in the saddle for this engagement.

OTHERS — A number of runners in the 10-horse actually have a chance in the
Dirt Mile, including Chilean import BRONZO. The Fusaichi Pegasus five-year-old
was tabbed at 12-1 on the morning-line but, based on his past two races, could
surprise in his U.S. debut.

Bronzo captured his last pair by a combined 12 lengths while going nine
furlongs and 1 3/8 miles. However, the Jorge Inda-trained bay is no stranger to
competing successfully at a mile and has been burning up the Santa Anita dirt
since shipping stateside. In his last three moves, Bronzo recorded a half-mile
in :47 1/5 twice and clocked five furlongs in :59 4/5 on Monday. He’ll be
getting Lasix for the first time in the Dirt Mile and brings regular rider Louis
Torres along for the ride.

TAPITURE and FED BIZ are both listed at single-digit odds for the Dirt Mile
morning-line and have the ability to live up to that status Friday.

Like Vicar’s in Trouble, Tapiture suffered his only off-the-board runs while
on the Triple Crown trail but has since captured the Grade 3 Matt Winn and Grade
2 West Virginia Derby while finishing second in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby.
The Tapit colt has proven capable of winning from off the pace as well as on the
lead, leaving trainer Steven Asmussen and Napravnik with options.

Fed Biz is 3-0-0 from six starts at a mile and 3-1-1 from eight races on
Santa Anita’s dirt. The Bob Baffert trainee ran Breeders’ Cup Classic probable
favorite Shared Belief to a neck in the Grade 1 Awesome Again last out and has
excellent credentials entering Friday’s race.

Our biggest concern for the Giant’s Causeway five-year-old is that he ran
second, 4 1/4 lengths behind Goldencents, in the Pat O’Brien after defeating
that rival in the 2013 edition of that race. Fed Biz, who was eighth in the 2012
Dirt Mile, would go on to be sixth in the Dirt Mile off his Pat O’Brien triumph
a year ago. Based on those prior lackluster efforts, his 7-2 morning-line
odds might be a bit low.

One last mention goes to 2013 Dirt Mile runner-up Golden Ticket, who could
surprise but doesn’t seem to be going as well this year as he was leading up
to this same race 12 months back.