2023 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Tips
We’re looking forward to seeing whether Cody’s Wish can complete back-to-back successes in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, with the horse having demonstrated that he’s a multiple Grade I winning American thoroughbred. Last year, he completed a victory in this race but also managed to land the spoils in the Forego Stakes at Saratoga.
Coming into this particular race, there have been seasonal wins in the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap and the Churchill Downs Stakes, with punters likely to warm to a runner who has racked up over $2.5 million in prize money. The latest success was a walk in the park where the horse claimed a triumph in the Vosbergh Stakes as a very short priced favourite.
Practical Move has secured four consecutive wins and merits respect as an alternative to the favourite, with Tim Yakteen having high hopes for a three-year-old who could be very progressive. There was a recent success against two other contenders at Santa Anita, with the horse having previously demonstrated an ability to run at this track.
The win in the Santa Anita Derby was especially eye-catching over one mile and one furlong, with this coming after a win in the San Felipe Stakes. On that occasion, Practical Move was able to lower the colours of favourite Geaux Rocket Ride where the former was able to oblige by two and a half lengths.
Bet On The 2020 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
The display certainly had the bookmakers on red alert and Vekoma has been trading as favourite for this race ever since, with George Weaver training a runner which he claims to be the best he’s ever had at the stable and the only real blip experienced by this horse was a damp squib in the Derby.That was a big money race which saw Vekoma beat Network Effect and Code Of Honor, with the runner set to compete in his first ever Dirt Mile race although there are several other viable contenders lining up.
Can Anyone Beat Vekoma in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile?
Let’s not forget that the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile is a highly competitive race and Bob Baffert is never too far away from landing a victory when it comes to a big American horse race and the name of Improbable could be an attractive one on the Breeders’ Cup race card.
The four-year-old is trading as the second favourite to win and there was a recent win at Santa Anita which has seen Improbable’s price shrink, with the runner landing a victory by four-and-a-half lengths when fending off the highly-rated and favourite that was Maximum Security.
Indeed, the horse hasn’t been beaten in three outings and could yet go off favourite, although this is far from a two-horse race and Charlatan could be a popular pick.
The History of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
The Dirt Mile has been one of the biggest races of the Breeders’ Cup and this is a one-mile encounter which was inaugurated in 2007, with horses aged three or older competing on the dirt track of leading American racecourses.
The purse is generally set at around $1,000,000 and there have been a couple of successes for three-year-olds in recent years, with Battle Of Midway and Spun to Run among those younger horses who have claimed the spoils. However, four-year-old City of Light won in 2018 and six-year-old Tamarkuz was victorious two years previously.
Catalina Cruiser is currently trading as favourite to win the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile, with the five-year-old having produced some impressive performances already this season.
The John W Sadler-trained horse has enjoyed a hat-trick of victories, with the first coming at Belmont Park in early June when the 9/5 favourite won over six-and-a-half furlongs on a dirt track.
Better was to follow at Del Mar on 20 July when Catalina Cruiser bolted home over a distance slightly longer than a mile, while the three-timer was completed over seven furlongs at the same track and the charge couldn’t have done more to prepare for the big race.
Unibet currently offer a best price of 7/2 about the favourite although we know this will be a fiercely competitive race and Omaha Beach is another runner who can be expected to run well off the back of a good season.
The three-year-old could line up in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile with the added advantage of having run at Santa Anita this season, with the Richard E Mandella-trained horse winning the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes on 6 October.
Sent off at odds of 13/5, the horse beat favourite Shancelot by a head over a distance of six furlongs and connections will now hope that the horse is able to go further and land victory over a mile in the big one.
Shancelot could still take his chances at Santa Anita after going so close in this race and odds of 10/1 could appeal to each-way backers, especially if you think the horse will benefit from a longer trip.
Mitole has been the other horse that punters have wanted to back for this Breeders Cup race and it’s easy to see why considering that the charge has won on four of his five outings this season.
The four-year-old began the campaign with a victory at Oaklawn Park back in April, with further victories being achieved at Churchill Downs and Belmont Park before the winning run came to an end at Saratoga.
Even so, the horse returned to the track and obliged at odds of 9/10 when beating Firenze Fire, with trainer Steven Asmussen now prepping the horse for the biggest ride of his career. Asmussen has previously won this race with Tapizar back in 2012.
Four-year-old horses have had an excellent time of things in this race recently, with City Of Light triumphing last year, while Liam’s Map and Goldencents have also been recently winners at this age.
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