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.