Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Full Serrano's connections hope for déjà vu
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Full Serrano will attempt to join Goldencents and Cody’s Wish in the history books as a two-time winner of the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. He’s coming up to the race as well as he did when he won the 2024 edition with a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 104.
“I think he’s right where he was last year,” said John Sadler, who trains Full Serrano for Hronis Racing. “I don’t see any drop-off on him. He’s in good shape and strong.”
Full Serrano enters this year’s renewal off a runner-up finish in the Goodwood on Sept. 27 at his base of Santa Anita. Last year, he was second in the Pacific Classic one start out from the Breeders’ Cup. His final preparation for this year’s Dirt Mile will mirror his schedule from 2024.
“He’ll have a couple works at Santa Anita, then we’ll ship down to Del Mar about five, six days before the race,” Sadler said. “He’ll do his training here at Santa Anita and then he’ll go down there and run. It’s what we did last year, so it’s going to be very similar.”
Sadler said Joel Rosario will have the mount in the Dirt Mile. He was aboard Full Serrano last year and, with three victories, has won the Dirt Mile more than any other rider.
Full Serrano was a private purchase in early 2024. The 6-year-old raced in his native Argentina before making his first start for his new connections in August 2024. He’s never been beaten at a mile in the United States, with all three of his starts at the distance coming at Del Mar.
“I guess the thing that’s interesting is that sometimes horses that come from different continents or other countries, some of them adapt better than others,” Sadler said. “He’s adapted very well to America, and a lot credit goes to my riders. When they get here, we don’t rush them into anything. We let them get established because it’s different. This horse has adapted very well to being in California, and I think that’s part of the reason he’s improved so much.”
Full Serrano’s effort in the Goodwood could have set him up for the BC Classic.
“He’s fairly versatile,” Sadler said. “He’s run second at a mile and a quarter, second at a mile and an eighth, he’s won three times at a mile. But for the Breeders’ Cup, it looks like the Dirt Mile’s the better spot. We think the Classic looks a lot tougher, like a really tough race.
“It’s a combination of he’s good at a mile, he’s good on that track, and we’re not going to go for the heavier lifting at a mile and a quarter. But we’ll run him further in different races as we get into next year. I don’t want to classify him just as a miler, but for this day, the [Dirt] Mile looks like the best spot.”
Perhaps for the second year in a row.
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