Kaigun, Grand Arch Clash in Woodbine Mile

Kaigun, winner of the Play the King Stakes (Can-IIT) in his first graded score for trainer Mark Casse, heads a field of 11 as the 5-2 favorite for the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) Sept. 14 at Woodbine.

Breaking through in the seven-furlong Play the King after running second to two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan earlier this season, the 4-year-old Northern Afleet   gelding will have another chance at grade I success without his Eclipse Award-winning rival in the mix. Wise Dan, who won the $1 million Woodbine Mile the past two years, will bypass the race to target the Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. IT) after getting a late start to his second half of the season while recovering from colic surgery.

Kaigun is one of three Ontario-breds entered for the 18th running of the Woodbine Mile, along with His Race to Win and River Seven. Four Canadian runners have won before, the latest being Rahy's Attorney in 2008.

Owned by Gary Barber, Quintessential Racing Florida, and Horse'n Around Racing Stable, Kaigun has blossomed since being moved to the turf a year ago. He was second by three-quarters of a length to Wise Dan in the Maker's 46 Mile (gr. IT) at Keeneland in April, and missed to Arlington Million (gr. IT) winner Real Solution by 1 1/4 lengths in the June 7 Knob Creek Manhattan (gr. IT). His furious closing kick in the Play the King was a rebound from a fifth-place finish in the United Nations (gr. IT).

"I was worried about cutting him back from a mile and three-eighths to seven-eighths," Casse said. "I thought he was very impressive. I think probably he might be a better miler but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. He can do anything. I don't know if he's any better now than he was in the spring but his last race was powerful.  We gelded him (after winning his turf debut a year ago). That really helped, too."

Kaigun carries co-highweight of 121 pounds along with Grand Arch, and departs post 5 under Patrick Husbands.

Grand Arch, trained by Brian Lynch for Jim and Susan Hill, comes into the Mile off an excellent second-place finish a neck behind Seek Again in the Aug. 9 Fourstardave (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course. In his previous outing, the 5-year-old gelded son of Arch   won Woodbine's King Edward (Can-IIT) at one mile June 22.

Never been worse than third in 15 starts, Grand Arch drew post 11 and will be ridden by David Moran. The 4-1 third choice, he is one of a trio for trainer Bryan Lynch, who also entered Terry Hamilton's Dorsett and Raroma Stable's Silver Freak.

"He is just the absolute model of consistency," Lynch said of Grand Arch. "That (Fourstardave) was a tough one to lose. He gave everything he had and fought right to the wire. That's what you love to see in a horse, one that won't give up at any point. And he was just superb in the King Edward, too. The bigger the race, the bigger the effort you get from him." 

Gary Barber's Jack Milton, a 4-year-old son of War Front  , has also been knocking on the grade I door. Earlier this year, he won the one-mile Poker Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Belmont Park. Most recently he finished a close third to Seek Again and Grand Arch in the Fourstardave. Jack Milton is a four-time winner in 12 starts

The 7-2 second choice is trained by Todd Pletcher and will be ridden by Javier Castellano from post 9. Both seek their first Woodbine Mile win.

The likely pacesetter, Ken and Sarah Ramsey's homebred Bobby's Kitten, attempts to become the first 3-year-old to win the Woodbine Mile. Earlier this year the Kitten's Joy   runner won the $500,000 Penn Mile for trainer Chad Brown. Last year he was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) as the beaten favorite. Joel Rosario gets the mount from the 8 hole.

Qatar Racing's Trade Storm, trained by David Simcock, arrives from England once again after finishing third to Wise Dan in last year's Woodbine Mile. Though winless in six starts this year, the 6-year-old has finished second on three occasions while facing some of the world's best in England and Dubai. The field's leading money winner with almost $900,000 in earnings, Trade Storm will. have regular rider Jamie Spencer in the irons from post 2 and is the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line.

John Oxley's Lockout, to be ridden by Gary Boulanger from post 7, is listed at 10-1 from the Casse barn. The 5-year-old son of Limehouse   most recently finished second by three-quarters of a length to Kaigun in the Play the King.  

Sam Son Farm's His Race to Win, Tucci Stables' River Seven, and Scott Farmer and Kathy Thompson's Ancil complete the field.

The stakes record time for the Woodbine Mile is now 1:31.75, set by Wise Dan last year.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile is part of the Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" series and offers the winner an all-expenses paid berth (entry fees and travel costs) into the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park. Four horses who raced in the Woodbine Mile have won the Breeders' Cup Mile.

The Woodbine Mile will be televised live across Canada on TSN in HD in a special presentation from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. EDT. FOX Sports 1 will provide coverage to the United States from 5 to 6:30 p.m.