Almendares may run in Breeders' Cup Mile

ARCADIA, Calif. – The announcement of pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 22 may be an anxious moment for the people behind Almendares, who finished third in the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita last Saturday.

Trainer Phil D’Amato said on Sunday that he rates Almendares as a candidate for the BC Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1. The race has often drawn an oversubscribed field. On Oct. 22, Breeders’ Cup officials will announce the pre-entries and will present a ranking of candidates in order of preference.

The BC Mile will have a maximum field of 14. In the last three years, 18 horses were pre-entered for the race. There were 24 pre-entrants in 2021.

Where Almendares potentially fits is a point of concern for D’Amato.

“I’d like to take a shot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” D’Amato said on Sunday. “Will he get in? The owners need to huddle up.”

:: BREEDERS’ CUP MILE: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more

Almendares, a 5-year-old Irish-bred gelding by Havana Grey, races for the partnership of John Rochfort, Ian McLean, Saul Geverts, Michael Nentwig, and Ray Pagano. Almendares won his first stakes in the restricted Wickerr Stakes at a mile at Del Mar on July 19 in his 17th career start, and he was a good second to the multiple stakes winner Formidable Man in the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 30.

In the City of Hope Mile, Almendares closed from sixth to finish 1 1/4 lengths behind 1-5 favorite Johannes. Almendares trailed by five lengths with a quarter-mile remaining after chasing a slow pace.

“I think his style would fit in a Breeders’ Cup race with a lot of pace and his late kick,” D’Amato said.

Now all they need is a chance.

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