Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
| Grade I race | |
| Location | United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 2007 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | breederscup |
| Race information | |
| Distance | One mile (8 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-years-old & up |
| Weight | Weight for Age |
| Purse | US$1,000,000 |
The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is a 1-mile (1.6 km) Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing, and is run on a dirt course (either natural dirt or a synthetic surface such as Polytrack). This contrasts with the similar Breeders' Cup Mile, run on grass. All Breeders' Cups to date have been conducted in the United States, with the exception of the 1996 event in Canada.
The race was run for the first time in 2007 during the first day of the expanded Breeders' Cup at that year's host track, Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey. It became a Grade I event in 2009.[1]
Occasionally, various track configurations require minor changes in the distance of the race. The 2007 race at Monmouth Park was held at a distance of 1 mile 70 yards (1673 m) instead of the normal distance of 1-mile (1.6 km). The 2015 Breeders' Cup was held at Keeneland, which does not regularly hold 1–mile dirt races. To get the proper distance, the starting gate was set 70 yards (64 m) in front of the one-mile pole, where the timer would start, and the finishing line was set at the track's alternate finish line at the 1⁄16 mile pole. Thus the race was slightly longer than a mile for the horses.[2]
Automatic berths
In 2007, the Breeders' Cup has developed the Breeders' Cup Challenge, a series of races in each division that allotted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has multiple qualifying races. Note though that one horse may win multiple challenge races, while other challenge winners will not be entered in the Breeders' Cup for a variety of reasons such as injury or travel considerations.
In the Dirt Mile division, runners are limited to 12 and there are three automatic berths. The 2022 "Win and You're In" races were:[3]
- the Metropolitan Handicap, a Grade 1 race run in June at Belmont Park in New York
- the Pat O'Brien Stakes, a Grade 2 race run in August at Del Mar Racetrack in California
- the Ack Ack Stakes, a Grade 3 race run in October at Churchill Downs in Kentucky
Records
Most wins:
- 2 – Goldencents (2013, 2014)
- 2 – Cody's Wish (2022, 2023)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 2 – Rafael Bejarano (2013, 2014)
- 2 – Javier Castellano (2015, 2018)
- 2 – Irad Ortiz Jr. (2019, 2021)
- 2 – Joel Rosario (2010, 2020)
- 2 – Junior Alvarado (2022, 2023)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 – Jerry Hollendorfer (2010, 2017)
- 2 – Todd A. Pletcher (2015, 2021)
- 2 – William I. Mott (2022, 2023)
Most wins by an owner:
- 2 – W. C. Racing (2013, 2014)
- 2 – WinStar Farm (2017, 2021)
- 2 – Godolphin (2022, 2023)
Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | Purse | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Full Serrano (ARG) | 5 | Joel Rosario | John W. Sadler | Kosta, Stephanie and Pete Hronis' Hronis Racing | 1:35.48 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2023 | Cody's Wish | 5 | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | Godolphin | 1:35.97 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2022 | Cody's Wish | 4 | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | Godolphin | 1:35.33 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2021 | Life Is Good | 3 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Todd A. Pletcher | WinStar Farm & China Horse Club | 1:34.12 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2020 | Knicks Go | 4 | Joel Rosario | Brad H. Cox | Korea Racing Authority | 1:33.85 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2019 | Spun to Run | 3 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Juan Carlos Guerrero | Robert P. Donaldson | 1:36.58 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2018 | City of Light | 4 | Javier Castellano | Michael W. McCarthy | William K. & Suzanne Warren Jr. | 1:33.83 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2017 | Battle Of Midway | 3 | Flavien Prat | Jerry Hollendorfer | Don Alberto Stable & WinStar Farm | 1:35.20 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2016 | Tamarkuz | 6 | Mike Smith | Kiaran McLaughlin | Shadwell Stable | 1:35.72 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2015 | Liam's Map | 4 | Javier Castellano | Todd A. Pletcher | Teresa Viola Racing Stables | 1:34.54 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2014 | Goldencents | 4 | Rafael Bejarano | Leandro Mora | W. C. Racing Inc. | 1:35.19 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2013 | Goldencents | 3 | Rafael Bejarano | Doug O'Neill | W. C. Racing Inc., RAP Racing & Dave Kenney | 1:35.12 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2012 | Tapizar | 4 | Corey Nakatani | Steven M. Asmussen | Winchell Thoroughbreds | 1:35.34 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2011 | Caleb's Posse | 3 | Rajiv Maragh | Donnie K. Von Hemel | McNeil Stables & Cheyenne Stables | 1:34.59 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2010 | Dakota Phone | 5 | Joel Rosario | Jerry Hollendorfer | Halo Farms, Jerry Hollendorfer, John Carver & George Todaro | 1:35.29 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2009 | Furthest Land | 4 | Julien Leparoux | Michael J. Maker | Kenneth & Sarah Ramsey | 1:35.50 | $1,000,000 | I |
| 2008 | Albertus Maximus | 4 | Garrett Gomez | Vladimir Cerin | Brandon Chase & Marianne Chase | 1:33.41 | $1,000,000 | |
| 2007 | Corinthian | 4 | Kent Desormeaux | James A. Jerkens | Centennial Farms | 1:39.06 | $1,000,000 |
See also
- Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile "top three finishers" and starters
- American thoroughbred racing top attended events
References
- ^ Six New Grade I Races for 2009 – bloodhorse.com
- ^ Angst, Frank (9 October 2015). "Jockeys Find Keeneland Mile Race Challenging". The Blood-Horse. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ "BC announces 2022 "Win and You're In' schedule". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 7 October 2022.