Purse:	$2,000,000	Grade:	1
Distance:	1 Mile	Age:	3+

2019 Breeders' Cup Mile Recap - Uni

Uni was outstanding in Saturday's $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita Park. At odds of 7-2, the Chad Brown trainee exploded from mid-pack late and won by a convincing 1 ½ lengths.

Hey Gaman shot from the thirteen-post and flew straight up to the front by the time they hit the first turn. El Tormenta also rushed up to the front to challenge Hey Gaman on the lead and the duo set fractions of :22.78, :45.32, and 1:09.27 as they were followed by Bowies Hero and True Valour.

The 3-1 post-time favorite Got Stormy sat midpack and Uni sat a few more lengths back in a comfortable stalking position. Into the final turn, Got Stormy moved up to third and immediately looked to be the horse to beat. Uni, who was ridden by Joel Rosario, shot forward on the outside and went straight by Got Stormy who settled for second. Without Parole finished third, followed by Circus Maximus and Bowies Hero.

Uni returned $9.20 to win, $4.80 to place, and $3.60 to show. Got Stormy brought back $4.80 to place and $3.40 to show, while Show paid $5.60 to show.

Bolo

Bolo, whose four lifetime turf stakes triumphs all have come over Santa Anita's grass course, galloped 1 1/2 miles Tuesday morning under exercise rider Tony Rubicava for trainer Carla Gaines. The conditioner was "fine" with the 7-year-old's post position draw (number seven in the 14-horse field).

"It's certainly better than being 14," she said.

Bolo, who had his final timed workout Saturday, will simply gallop into the race, In addition to a Thursday afternoon schooling session in the paddock.

Got Stormy

Trainer Mark Casse was on the scene at Santa Anita Tuesday to oversee his Breeders' Cup contingent and Grade I winner Got Stormy provided her usual eyeful as she went through her morning routine.

With exercise rider Kim Carroll up, the daughter of Get Stormy was full of herself heading to the main track with Casse himself on the end of the shank and put in another strong gallop before coming back through the paddock. That kind of indefatigable energy is what allowed Got Stormy to win the Aug. 10 Fourstardave Handicap over males in course-record time on just seven days rest at Saratoga.

Even though she was beaten last time out in the Woodbine Mile, Casse feels that runner-up outing set up the chestnut filly perfectly for her Mile attempt this Saturday.

"I knew that going in (the Woodbine Mile) would be a tall task for her," Casse said. "I probably know Woodbine as well as anybody and do you know how many good horses, good milers get beat there? And the reason is it's not really a true mile, it's would be more like running a mile and a sixteenth. She's a true miler. Then you throw in a little soft ground and it made it even more difficult. So I wasn't surprised at all. I was actually proud of her to run second."

Uni

In company with stablemate and fellow Breeders' Cup runner Wow Cat, Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Bob LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables' Uni went to the Santa Anita main track for a light gallop Tuesday morning before returning to Barn 48 and trainer Chad Brown. The two-time G1 winner at a mile versus her own sex will now take on the boys in the Mile on Saturday.

"She's a horse who's catching her window right now," Brown said. "She's matured and reaching her peak."

Without Parole

John and Tanya Gunther's homebred Group 1 winner Without Parole enters the Mile off a nearly six-month layoff and also will make his first start since being transferred from John Gosden in England to Chad Brown in New York. On Tuesday morning, the son of Frankel left Barn 48 at 6:45 in company with fellow Brown Breeders' Cup aspirants Structor and Selflessly. The trio had an easy gallop around the track before returning.

"I got him in August and he's been training really well," Brown said. "He's a nice sound horse and very straight forward. He came to me in good condition."

Last year, the four-time winner from nine starts won the prestigious G1 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Winless this year from two starts, he ran very well to be fifth by six lengths to standout filly Almond Eye in the Dubai Turf in March. He then faltered badly to finish last in the G1 Lockinge Stakes in May.

"It's a tough spot for your first time in the country and off form, but we thought we would take a shot because he was training particularly well, especially holding company with Bricks and Mortar in the mornings. I'm not sure what the owners' plans are, but we hope (he stays in training in 2020)."

What is the Breeders' Cup Mile?

The Breeders' Cup Mile (Grade 1) has created an interesting pattern of sorts in that, for this $2 million series on turf of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, good things have come in two's. Four Mile events of the Breeders' Cup races have had repeat winners. Also, the Mile has had three horses who have posted two victories each.

Miesque, bred by owner Stavros Niarchos' Flaxman Holdings Ltd., sparkled in the Breeders' Cup Mile in 1987 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, and conquered a significantly slower surface at Churchill Downs in Louisville the following year. Trained by Francois Boutin, the remarkable filly won by 3-1/2 lengths in California and by 4 lengths in Kentucky - the largest winning margins in the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships race's history.

On the strength of her single North American victories, Miesque was voted champion grass female in 1987 and 1988. The Niarchos family also campaigned Mile winners Spinning World (1997), Domedriver (Ireland; 2002), and Six Perfections (France; 2003) in the name of Flaxman Holdings, Ltd.

In 2003, 5-1 shot Six Perfections, a 3 year old filly taking on boys, stayed in between horses back in eighth early, then came on strong down the stretch splitting rivals to win by 3/4 length over 12-1 shot Touch of the Blues. The time for the mile distance on the firm turf course was 1:33 4/5. It was a neck back to 39-1 longshot Century City. 3-1 favorite Peace Rules set the early pace but had nothing left turning for home, fading badly and finishing last.

At the 2004 Breeders' Cup Mile, Singletary emerged as the champion at 16.50 odds with jockey David Romero Flores. Antonius Pius with jockey Jamie Spencer won second at 31.40 odds while France's Six Perfections with jockey Jerry Bailey placed third at 5.90 odds.

Goldikova, based in France, won the Breeders’ Cup Mile back to back in 2008 and 2009with jockey Olivier Peslier. In her second win in 2009 she was second last for much of the race and at the top of the stretch she was forced to go 5 wide. It looked like she was going to lose, but then she changed leads again and blasted past Coragious Cat to win in 1:32.26, 0.8 seconds off of the world record held by Mr. Light.

Claiborne Farm's homebred Lure, arguably one of the most accomplished horses never to win a year-end championship, also scored two daylight victories, winning by 3 lengths in the 1992 Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park, and by 2 ¼ lengths in the following year at Santa Anita Park for trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III.

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While not necessarily possessing talent to equal Miesque's or Lure's, Da Hoss became a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner by virtue of his courage and the innovative training regimen of Michael Dickinson. In 1996, Dickinson had his assistant, Joan Wakefield, test the Woodbine turf course in high heels to determine the best path for the Gone West gelding, who won by 1 1/2 lengths.

Da Hoss missed the entire following season of the Breeders' Cup races due to injury and came back to run in the 1998 Breeders' Cup Mile with only one start in two years. He rallied on a firm Churchill Downs turf course to overtake Hawksley Hill (Ireland) and win the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships Mile race by a head.

Also experiencing consistent success in the Breeders' Cup Mile are the European-based horses. Nine of the Mile's first 20 winners had been based with European trainers prior to their wins.

Most remarkably, the Breeders' Cup Mile has also seen the domination of the Northern Dancer sire line. Although the great Windfields Farm stallion did not sire a winner himself, six of his sons and two of his grandsons have sired winners, accounting for 12 victories in the Mile's first 20 years. His sons Danzig and Nureyev have each sired three winners.

2019 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE