11 Clash in Woodbine Mile for Breeders' Cup Berth

A field of 11 will line up in Sunday’s Grade 1 $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile, one of the most prestigious turf races in North America, with the winner stamping a ticket to the Grade 1 $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Four horses that have raced in the Woodbine Mile have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile, including Wise Dan, which won both races in 2012 and 2013 on his way to back-to-back Horse of the Year honors.

The gelding was pointing toward a return to the race this year but was retired from racing Sept. 7 after his trainer, Charles LoPresti, noticed some filling in a tendon. The gelding is the only horse to win the Woodbine Mile more than once in the 19-year history of the race.

The 2007 Woodbine Mile runner-up, Kip Deville, and the 1999 fifth-place finisher, Silic, both went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile the same year. Court Vision, which won the 2010 Woodbine Mile, was the upset winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile the following year.

There have been four Woodbine Mile winners: Geri (1997), Touch of the Blues (2003), Leroidesanimaux (2005) and Turallure (2011) who went on to finish second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile the same year.

The race will be televised as part of the Jockey Club Tour on Fox, with the 90-minute telecast getting underway at 4:30 pm ET. The on-air duties on Fox Sports 1 will be handled by Greg Wolf, Richard Migliore, Andy Serling, and Alyssa Ali and will be available on the Fox Sports Go app.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will saddle 5-2 morning line favorite Lea, who makes his first start on turf in over a year. The six-year-old was a disappointing sixth in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in his last start Aug. 6.

"We were pleased enough with the way he worked on (the turf) that we thought he deserved another chance," Mott said per Claire Novak of Blood Horse. "We know he's a Grade 1 horse."

Obviously is the second choice on the morning line at 3-1 despite not having raced since running fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last November.

"He runs great fresh and if he wasn't training as well as he ever has—if not better—I wouldn't even consider this off the bench,” said his trainer, Phil D’Amato, per Blood Horse. “But he is training like a horse possessed, so we're going to take a shot in a $1 million race and a chance at a 'Win and You're In.'"

Here are my predictions for the top three finishers of the Woodbine Mile:

Win: Kaigun

Kaigun might be a stretch, but he ran second in this race last year, beaten just a half-length for the top spot at 4-1. He came into last year's race in better form, winning the Grade 2 Play the King, a race he ran third in this year. He was herded out shortly after the break and came with a four-wide bid and finished up well.

The extra furlong will suit him, and he has run well over the Woodbine turf, landing in the money in all five starts including a pair of wins. The gelding makes his third start off the bench and is going to be a generous price.

Place: Grand Arch

Grand Arch is coming off a game win in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga in his last outing, holding off Ironicus by a hard fought neck. The runner-up came back to win the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap in his next outing at Saratoga on Sept. 7.

The Brian Lynch trainee was fifth in this race last year, beaten three lengths for the top spot. He has won three of his eight trips over the turf at Woodbine in his career.

Show: Lea

Lea did not fire his best during his last time on the main track at Saratoga in the Whitney, where he faded to finish sixth. It was the first time he finished out of the money since the fall of 2013. The Bill Mott trainee has not raced on turf since running third in the 2013 Fourstardave at Saratoga.

His first five career starts came on the lawn including a victory in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs in 2012.

Morning line odds courtesy of America’s Best Racing

Follow Michael Dempsey on twitter @turfnsport