Plenty of Female Intrigue in Breeders' Cup Mile

The spotlight shines on champion Enable in her quest to capture the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T), but four other fillies from across the pond will also seek their breakout moment against males Nov. 3 on the Churchill Downs lawn in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T).

While Expert Eye and Lightning Spear take to U.S. soil to renew their rivalry one last time before the latter heads to Tweenhills Stud, their female rivals could be coming into form at exactly the right time.   

In Wertheimer et Frere's Polydream, the legendary Freddy Head has found another Mile contender who could follow in the hoofprints of two-time Mile winner Miesque (ridden by Head to victory in 1987-88) and Goldikova, who he trained to three unprecedented Mile wins from 2008-10.

The only individual to win Breeders' Cup races as both a jockey and trainer, Head brings his 2018 runner with a top-level victory under her girth this season in the Aug. 5 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) run over 6 1/2 furlongs. The daughter of Oasis Dream encountered a bad trip last out going just under seven furlongs in the Oct. 7 Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1), and finished seventh as the favorite. She is the 5-1 choice for the Mile on the morning line.

Lael Stables' One Master staged an impressive upset of the Foret with a powerful rally at odds of 47-1, a major step up from her previous best for trainer William Haggas, an Aug. 30 win in the Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge Stakes (G3). The Fastnet Rock filly tries a mile for the first time.

Coolmore's group 2 winner I Can Fly ran a brilliant second to Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contender Roaring Lion in the Oct. 20 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) going a mile, where she missed by just a neck. Another by Fastnet Rock, she joins stablemate Happily, who landed the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere-Grand Criterium (G1) in October 2017. Kicking off her 3-year-old season with thirds in the QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1) and Tattersalls Irish One Thousand Guineas (G1) in May, the daughter of Galileo was rested and returned for trainer Aidan O'Brien with a strong second to multiple group 1 winner Laurens in the Oct. 6 Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) at Newmarket. 

O'Brien also sends Coolmore's Gustav Klimt for another shot at eight furlongs. The group 2-winning son of Galileo hit the board in four group 1 races this year, but is winless at the distance and was fourth in the Foret.

Juddmonte's Expert Eye, trained by Sir Michael Stoute, was a close third last out Sept. 9 in the one-mile Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (G1), which he lost by 1 1/4 lengths. The David Simcock-trained Lightning Spear did no better than fifth in that race, a length behind Expert Eye.

It was a change of fortunes from earlier in the season, when the two met in the Aug. 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) and Qatar Racing's Lightning Spear took home a Breeders' Cup Challenge berth for the Mile with a 1 1/2-length win over Expert Eye.

While Lightning Spear must rebound from a seventh over soft going in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, he has made 22 straight starts in group 1 or group 2 races, and 18 of those have been at a mile.  

Stoute also entered Shadwell's group 2 winner Mustashry, who made the field with the Oct. 26 defection of Sharp Samurai. The son of Tamayuz put together back-to-back wins in the Sept. 15 Alan Wood Plumbing & Heating Park Stakes (G2) and the Sept. 28 Shadwell Joel Stakes (G2).

Since Goldikova's streak concluded in 2010, American contenders have taken home all but one edition of the Mile (the 2014 running won by Karakontie ). 

This year, the home team is led by three Breeders' Cup Challenge winners: 23-1 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1T) victor Next Shares, front-running Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T) winner Oscar Performance , and May 28 Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1T) winner Hunt, who must rebound from off-the-board performances in the Eddie Read Handicap (G2T) and Del Mar Mile Handicap (G2T). Hunt was 13th in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf, where Oscar Performance set the pace and faded to ninth.

Woodford Racing's Catapult won both the July 22 Eddie Read and the Aug. 19 Del Mar Mile, and the Kitten's Joy  runner seems to be a horse on the improve for trainer John Sadler. 

Entries: Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, November 03, 2018, Race 8

• Grade IT
• 1m
• Turf
• $2,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1One Master (GB)	James Doyle	123	William J. Haggas	12/1
2	2Next Shares (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Richard Baltas	10/1
3	3Happily (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	120	Aidan P. O'Brien	15/1
4	4Polydream (IRE)	Maxime H. Guyon	120	Frederic Head	5/1
5	5Oscar Performance (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Brian A. Lynch	6/1
6	6Almanaar (GB)	Joel Rosario	126	Chad C. Brown	12/1
7	7Expert Eye (GB)	Lanfranco Dettori	123	Sir Michael R. Stoute	8/1
8	8I Can Fly (GB)	Jamie P. Spencer	120	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
9	9Hunt (IRE)	Flavien Prat	126	Philip D'Amato	30/1
10	10Catapult (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	126	John W. Sadler	6/1
11	11Lightning Spear (GB)	Oisin Murphy	126	David Simcock	20/1
12	12Analyze It (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	123	Chad C. Brown	6/1
13	13Gustav Klimt (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	123	Aidan P. O'Brien	10/1
14	14Mustashry (GB)	William T. Buick	126	Sir Michael R. Stoute	15/1
15	15Divisidero (KY)	Jevian Toledo	126	Kelly Rubley	30/1
16	16Clemmie (IRE)	Andrea Atzeni	120	Aidan P. O'Brien	30/1