Carl Spackler returns to Keeneland for Maker's Mark Mile

An ill-timed loss in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) last November likely cost Carl Spackler a championship among the turf male set, but it's that quality that makes him especially dangerous on Friday in the $650,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

From a pure class standpoint, Carl Spackler might be hard to topple. The Chad Brown trainee entered the Breeders' Cup on a three-race win streak, including victories in the Fourstardave H. (G1) and Coolmore Turf Mile (G1), the latter at Keeneland. Both came at the expense of More Than Looks, who rebounded to win the Mile at Del Mar while Carl Spackler came up flat in the stretch and finished sixth.

Integration also has plenty of class. Although third behind the Godolphin duo of Master of the Seas and Naval Power in last year's Maker's Mark Mile, Integration's wheelhouse has been at longer distances. He ended last season on a high note, taking the Red Smith (G2) over 11 furlongs, and just missed in his season debut in the nine-furlong Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1).

Trikari was among the more accomplished three-year-old turf performers last term, with victories in the Belmont Derby (G1), American Turf (G2), and Secretariat (G2). But after a respectable fourth to Johannes in the City of Hope Mile (G2), he might have been over the top when unplaced against fellow sophomores in the Bryan Station (G3) over the Keeneland turf.

The remainder of the Maker's Mark Mile field, which includes Shoemaker Mile (G1) runner-up Funtastic Again and the stakes winners Silent Heart, Northern Invader, and Seminole Chief, would appear to need serious improvement. Especially if Carl Spackler produces a typical top-level effort.