Modern Games, Emmanuel Battle in Maker's Mark Mile

Europe is home for Modern Games , but North America seems to be where his heart is.

Godolphin's homebred is a 3-3-1 in 10 starts racing in Britain and France—a fine record but one that pales in contrast to what he has done in the United States and Canada, where he is perfect in three starts, all in grade 1 company. He was honored last year for those achievements with an Eclipse Award as North America's champion turf male.

On April 14, the Charlie Appleby trainee will be favored to improve to 4-for-4 on this side of the Atlantic Ocean when he takes on seven rivals in the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1T) at Keeneland.

"He seems to come alive when he's here," said Appleby's traveling head lad, Chris Connett. "He gets his game face on when he turns up here."

At age 2, he won the 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar, and last year as a 3-year-old, he won the Woodbine Mile (G1T) in Canada and the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) when Keeneland was the host Breeders' Cup track.

William Buick, his regular jockey, makes the trip to Kentucky to ride the son of Dubawi  in his season debut. Modern Games has been out of racing action since the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup.

The colt is proven fresh, having won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (G1) last May at ParisLongchamp in his first race of 2022 when returning from his first Breeders' Cup score.

Dry weather is forecast through Friday. The firm turf suits Modern Games.

A handful of opponents bring in noteworthy credentials.

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout  upset the Hollywood Derby (G1T) last year and was third in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) in his lone start of 2023 in January; Lael Stables' Chez Pierre  is a fast minor stakes winner with a 5-for-6 record; WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Emmanuel  has notched graded stakes victories in three of his last four starts since a switch to turf; Peter Brant's Dr Zempf  was a group 3 winner in Ireland last year and stylishly won his U.S. debut in March; and Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's In Love  won a grade 1 over the Keeneland turf course in the fall of 2021.

Dr Zempf and Emmanuel appear the most formidable of Modern Games' adversaries.

The former could give Brant and trainer Chad Brown a second Maker's Mark victory after their initial success with Raging Bull   in 2021. The 4-year-old Dark Angel  gelding kept high-class competition in Europe before his import to the U.S. and was group 1-placed in 2021. Accustomed to running shorter distances overseas, he ran fifth in his one race at a mile, though over soft ground.

In his first start for Brown, Dr Zempf won going away in a 7 1/2-furlong allowance optional claiming race around two turns at Gulfstream Park March 10 under Tyler Gaffalione, who retains the ride Friday.

Emmanuel cuts back slightly in trip after a pair of wins this year at 1 1/16 miles on the turf in Florida. After a course record-setting victory in the Feb. 4 Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T), he overcame traffic challenges to capture the Canadian Turf Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream March 4.

Javier Castellano, a four-time Maker's Mark winner, returns in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Pletcher and Castellano teamed to win the race in 2015 with Gary Barber's Jack Milton  and in 2017 with WinStar Farm's American Patriot .

Entries: Maker's Mark Mile S. (G1T)

Keeneland, Friday, April 14, 2023, Race 9

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $600,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 5:16 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Speaking Scout (KY)	Luis Saez	123	H. Graham Motion	15/1
2	2Up to the Mark (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Todd A. Pletcher	10/1
3	3Chez Pierre (FR)	Flavien Prat	123	Arnaud Delacour	12/1
4	4Emmanuel (KY)	Javier Castellano	123	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
5	5Dr Zempf (GB)	Tyler Gaffalione	123	Chad C. Brown	6/1
6	6In Love (BRZ)	Vincent Cheminaud	123	Paulo H. Lobo	30/1
7	7Modern Games (IRE)	William Buick	123	Charles Appleby	3/5
8	8Cabo Spirit (KY)	Umberto Rispoli	123	George Papaprodromou	20/1