Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile gets a dozen

Headed by last year’s winner Goldencents, a dozen horses – the maximum number of starters allowed – were pre-entered Monday for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

While race order is subject to change, the eighth running of the Dirt Mile is slated as the second of four Breeders’ Cup races on Friday, Oct. 31. Post time is scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Pacific.

Daily Racing Form oddsmaker Brad Free rates Goldencents the 8-5 choice to become the first winning favorite in the Dirt Mile. The colt’s $9.60 payoff as second choice in 2013 was the lowest price since Corinthian ($9.40) took the inaugural running in 2007. All six winners in between were 6-1 or better, including major upsets by Dakota Phone ($77.40), Furthest Land ($44.60), and Tapizar ($32.60).

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Furthest Land was owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker, the connections of this year’s Dirt Mile pre-entrant Vicar’s in Trouble. Tapizar was owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen, the team behind this year’s pre-entrant Tapiture. Vicar’s in Trouble and Tapiture are the only 3-year-olds pre-entered in the Dirt Mile.

The second-, sixth- and seventh-place Dirt Mile finishers from 2013 are back: Golden Ticket, Fed Biz, and Pants On Fire.
This will be the third Dirt Mile for Fed Biz, the second choice at 5-2. He was eighth in 2012.

Pants On Fire was flown from Monmouth Park to Santa Anita Tuesday. While he was compromised by a wide trip from post 10 a year ago, he may be a stronger early factor this year coming off a big win in the Wild N Wonderful Stakes at Charles Town and a bullet half-mile workout Saturday.

“He had a fabulous workout the other day, and we’ll see if we can redeem ourselves” said trainer Kelly Breen. “That race has him so sharp right now – he’s really on his game.”

Goldencents earned a fees-paid berth to the Dirt Mile by taking the Pat O’Brien at Del Mar, and the Chilean import Bronzo earned a berth by winning the Group 2 Copa de Oro in Santiago, Chile, on June 27. Bronzo has had five workouts at Santa Anita as he looks to follow in the footsteps of another South American import, Calidoscopio, who won the defunct Marathon in 2012 off a similar layoff.

Capo Bastone and Handsome Mike, both off the board in the 2013 Turf Sprint, are pre-entered in the Dirt Mile and another race. Capo Bastone has second preference in the Sprint. Handsome Mike, also off the board in the 2012 Classic, has second preference in the Mile.

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Bourbon Courage, who won for the first time since the 2012 Super Derby when he beat third-level allowance foes Oct. 3, persuaded his connections to take a shot in either the Dirt Mile or the Sprint (first preference) after working five furlongs in 59.60 seconds at Keeneland Monday.

“I thought the work was pretty good,” said trainer Kellyn Gorder, who has never run a horse at Santa Anita.

Big Bane Theory, who has never raced on dirt, is pre-entered in the Dirt Mile but has first preference in the Mile.

Also pre-entered was Carve, who earned a career-best 102 Beyer Figure finishing second in the Ack Ack at Churchill Downs two starts ago.