A deep, competitive field for BB Mile

The Field

1.  Haack’s Arrogate (3c) Giant’s Causeway x El Gran Haack (Frankel)

ML: 27/1.  Owner: oohaack (haack)

2018: 5-4-0-0, 2 G1 wins, including 2000 Guineas at New Market 4-28.  Most recent: won allowance race 10-1.  Best fig 113 in The 2000 Guineas.  Dam (he-mare) won the 2014 BB Mile.

2.  Furious Yankee (4c) scratch-bred Giant’s Causeway x Pulpit x Oasis Dream

ML: 8/1.  Owner: lastpharaoh (latekick)

2018: 5-4-1-0, two g2 wins, second in G1 Eddie O Cap (9f on track listed good).   First eight career starts were 7.5 or shorter.  Most recent: won G2 Walnut BB Mile (CA).  Best fig 119 (3 times in 2018 including G2 The Sparkler Handicap (KY).

3.  Kompany (5H) Zoffany x Korpus (Danehill Dancer)

ML: 10/1.  Owner: chino14 (chino)

2018: 3-2-0.  Most recent: first in G1 The Suffix (Newmarket) 7-29.  Patiently-handled 5yo comes in three-month break – a slightly shorter break than the lead-up to his Suffix win.  Tried route once as 3yo, not again till final race as 4yo (G3 win).  Best fig: 119 in The Suffix.

4.  Devil’s Date (5g) Galileo x Thirteenth Date (Gone West)

ML: 6/1.  Owner: golddog (kingab)

2018: 5-2-0-3, both wins g3.  Never won g1, third in all three career tries.  Has run 12 consecutive SP# of 111 or better, the last eight in graded races.  Most recent: third in G1 Sourball Mile (Ky).  Best fig 119 in 2017.  Dam was a G1w, and 7^th in 2006 BB mile.

5.  Barb For Real (4c) Shamardal x All Around Barb (Redoute’s Choice)

ML: 11/1.  Owner: jakematt 1 (jakematt)

2018: 6-1-3-0, second in two G1s.  Won 3 of first 4 career starts, then winless till G3 The Witchcraft in June, and followed that with two solid G1 efforts.  Most recent: second in G1 Maudlin Cup (PAR).  Best fig: 118, second in G1 The Suffix.

6.  Blue Kornsnake (4c) Dubawi x Yellow Kornsnake (Pivotal)

ML: 9/1.  Owner: korn (qwikvett)

2018: 7-1-3-0, won G2 The United Invitational (Cal), second in G1s Sydney Mile and The Cobbler Mile.  Most recent: fourth in Maudlin Cup (PAR).  Has run in eight G1s, starting with fourth career race.  Best fig: 120 in The United.  Off track: 1-1, G1 Japanese 2000 Guineas.  He’s the first foal out of 2011 BB F&M Turf winner

7.  Take Care of Me (5h) scratch-bred Medicean x Danehill Dancer x Kris S.

ML: 12/1.  Owner: galileorock (atthewire)

2018: 8-0-2-1, unplaced in four G1 starts.  Finished 2017 with back-to-back graded wins, began 2018 second by a neck in G2 Gas Station Mile.  Has run in 15 consecutive stakes races since being claimed for $100,000 in March 2017.  Most recent: third in G2 The Big Europe Mile.  Best fig: 121 on yielding turf in 2017 G2 The Rawleigh Stakes (VIC).  Off track: 4-2-1-1

8.  Max Fuss (4c) Giant’s Causeway x Minimum Fuss (Distorted Humor)

ML: 9/1.  Owner: barnbrook (tees)

2018: 5-3-0-1.  Most recent: won G1 The Queen Liz Stakes (BRK) in first G1 turf start.  Began career with nine dirt races; has won 5 of 7 on grass since late 2017.  Best fig: 118 in Queen Liz.  Off track: 1-0.

9.  Flame of Freedom (4c) Dubawi x Torch The Flame (Kingmambo)

ML: 8/1.  Owner: super30 (super1)

2018: 6-2-0-2 including win in G1 Sand Castle Fee Duty (UAE).  Shortening to 8f for first time since final start as 2yo in 2016.  Most recent: fifth in G3 The Patrick Ewing (NY).  Best fig: 119 in G3 The Road Rash.  Off track: 1-0.  One of six SWs from mare who was third in 2008 BB Mile

10.  Spectrelight (4c) Dubawi x Crucial Kill (Pivotal)

ML: 8/1.  Owner: pbcash (lenny271)

2018: 8-6-0-0.  Won G1 The Saint Cloud at 2; tried three G1s as 3yo, then didn’t run in a graded race from June 2017 until August 2018.  Most recent: Won the G1 The Sourball Mile (Ky).  Best fig: 119 in Sourball.  He’s a half to five stakes winners including G1 winner Death by Laughing.

11.  Preach for Profit (4c) Fed Biz x In the Pulpit (Pulpit)

ML: 9/1.  Owner: saluki2016 (saluki2)

2018: 6-2-2-0, including win in G1 The Cobbler Mile (CA).  returned from 12-week freshening to run second 9-16 in G1 Canada Mile.  Best fig 117 in Cobbler Mile.   Off track.  2-0.  Half brother to G2 The Epistle.

12.  Mutant Powers (5m) English Channel x Exceptionalism (Tapit)

ML: 7/1.  Owner: sicko (sicko)

2018: 6-4-0-0, three G1 wins (Weedy Establishment Stakes (SAF), The Start Up (DEA); Most recent: won G1 Prix Marcel Boss (PAR).  Best fig: 117 in 2017.  Off track: 3-3.  Half to G2 Exceptional Value.

13.  The Other One Dyes (3c) Galileo x Perfect Mate (Awesome Again)

ML: 23/1.  Owner: palmbeachkc (spinround)

2018: 8-2-2-2, 1 G1, Jean Brat 6-30.  Most recent: Third vs.  older in G3 One Mile Classic (SWE).  Best fig 112 in The 2000 Guineas (second).  Half to 2-time G1 winner And In Hell

14.  Disuse (4g) Elvestrom x Red Rock Lass (Red Ransom)

ML: 21/1.  Owner: Bukowski (beisbol)

2018: 7-2-4-1.  After six months off, began 2018 with five sprints, then took big step forward in G2 The Rennen Mile.  Most recent: won G1 Canada Mile.  Best fig: 116 (two most recent races).  Half to G2 Don’t Drop a Deuce

 

The subplots

2017 BB Mile winner: Shady King

Stakes record: 1:33.0 by Diabolus Reverto, 2012 in CA

Track record: 1:33.21 by Half Deputized, 2018-04-07 (*courtesy of Shag)

 

The off track picture: The expected goof turf course leaves the picture muddy.  Only seven of the 14 entrants have raced on tracks listed less than firm.  Take Care of Me is the most experienced off-track runner with four starts – two wins, a second and a third.  One of those wins was on yielding turf in the 2017 G2 The Rawleigh Stakes.  Mutant Powers is 3 for 3 on off tracks, including a win in the G1 The Start Up on yielding turf in July.  Blue Kornsnake’s only race on an off track resulted in his first G1 win in The Japanese 2000 Guineas in 2017, also on yielding turf.

 

The pace: Spectrelight has spent much of his career going longer, but he likes to be in front early no matter the distance.  He won The Sourball Mile in his most recent race after leading the field through a half mile in 44.87 seconds, and as the lone confirmed front-runner Saturday he seems likely to lead them early again.   Kompany has shown the ability to run on the lead, and he won The Suffix after sitting second early.  Furious Yankee has won from the front but hasn’t led early in recent races.  Take Care of Me seems to do his best running when close to the early pace.  Flame of Freedom has gone to the front in longer races, but not in mile races.

 

The 3-year-olds: Haack’s Arrogate and The Other One Dyes are the only 3yo runners in the field.  They’ve met before.  Haack’s Arrogate won the The 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in April, holding off The Other One Dyes by a half-length.  The Other One Dyes got his revenge in The Jean Brat in June, winning from post 14 and beating Haack’s Arrogate by nearly five lengths for his first G1 score.  The Other One Dyes followed up his Jean Brat victory with two tries against older company.  Haack’s Arrogate took three months off after the Jean Brat – his first loss – and came back with an allowance win as a prep for the BB Mile.

 

The gender gap: The 5yo mare Mutant Powers will be facing 13 boys and trying to end an 11-year drought for girls.  The race has been won be a female three times, but not since Culinary Cutie in 2007.  The Hall of Fame mare Storm Dog won consecutive BB Miles in 2002-03.  Mutant Powers will be making her first start against the boys, but she has been running in high-end races for two years – 8 of her last 9 starts have been G1 races and she has four G1 wins, three of them in 2018.  But she hasn’t always rubbed elbows with Sim elite – she broke her maiden for a tag in career start number six.  That MCL win began 7-race win streak.

 

The parity: Every older horse in the field has run at least one SP# between 116 and 121.  Ten of the 12 ran at least a 112 in their most recent start.

 

The trophy chase: Trainer Atthewire is still seeking the elusive BB trophy.  Take Care of Me, claimed for $100,000 in 2016, has a shot.  “I’ve had a handful of Breeders’ Bowl runners over the years,” Atthewire said, “as I’ve been playing the game since 1999.  However, I have not had much success in the event.  I had a filly finish 8th in the Filly & Mare Turf last year, and that’s about as close as I have been to the front in a Breeeders’ Bowl race.  I’ll have two starters in the event overall this year (OPTED BACK IN goes in the Juvenile Filly Turf on Friday).  Would love it if one of them changes my luck!”

 

The King’s gelding: The morning line favorite in the race in Devil’s Date, a 5yo Galileo gelding who has won 8 of his last 14 races for Kingab.  “After 9 races this horse had only won 1 race so gelding him was absolutely the best thing for him,” Kingab said.  “He really has turned into a nice horse since then.  I have no idea how he was made the morning line favorite as there are several in here much more accomplished than him including the one that just beat him.  However I was glad to draw a good post position as his last two trips from wide posts have been terrible.”

 

The Dyehard: Sometimes horse names are random.  Sometimes the come with a good Sim story.  Take the 3yo The Other One Dyes.  “His 5yo older brother inspired Itch’s Name Police,” trainer Spinround said.  “The colt was named Habeas Corpses and a BTB article was written about it.  After that the mare’s subsequent foals have all violated Name Police rules.  The 4yo colt is And In Hell and the 2yo filly is Nothinglefttoburn.  Obviously the Dyes in this colt’s name is a twist on Dies but Itch dislikes it just the same.  All three of the colts are graded winners and the 2yo filly is already stakes-placed.  The anti-Name Police family is pretty lucky!”

 

No, Donny, these men are Nihilists: Veteran trainer Beisbol hopes the gelding Disuse has one more step forward following his recent strong outings and can earn Beisbol’s second Breeders’ Bowl victory.  “Ultimately, I thought he’d be a 7 furlong type,” Beisbol said, “but when he had trouble getting the lead in a 1200m race, I knew I had to stretch him out.  He exceeded my expectations in the G2 Rennen Mile and got the job done against PREACH FOR PROFIT in the Canada Mile.”

 

The pick: They don’t pay me enough to sort out this group. Each horse earned a spot legitimately. Each is proven at the distance. As a bettor, I would happily take 27/1 on Haack’s Arrogate.