Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Slow Down Andy at his best
Slow Down Andy is getting faster – just in time for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
He was one of 13 horses pre-entered for the Nov. 5 race at Keeneland – and one of six who also were pre-entered in other races. The field for the Dirt Mile, which ends at the first finish line, will be limited to 12.
Laurel River, Jack Christopher, Cyberknife, Cody’s Wish, Gunite, and Senor Buscador are among the top horses who were pre-entered Monday for the Dirt Mile. Final entries are next Monday, Oct. 31.
Slow Down Andy also was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, but his first preference is the Dirt Mile, trainer Doug O’Neill said. The horse is coming off a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 96, earned for his third-place finish in the Grade 1 Awesome Again on Oct. 1 at Santa Anita.
“He’s been such a versatile horse, winning the Del Mar Derby long on the turf and he ran great in the Awesome Again long on the dirt,” O’Neill said. “He can do just about anything. We tried to pick the race where we thought we had the best chance to get the best results.”
Jack Christopher’s first preference is listed as the Sprint in a non-binding designation, while the Dirt Mile is the first preference for Cyberknife, Gunite, Pipeline, and Surly Furious. (The latter was not selected into the field.) Cyberknife’s second preference is the Classic, while the others have a second preference of the Sprint. The list of runners pre-entered in the Dirt Mile is completed by Informative, Law Professor, Simplification, and Three Technique.
Daily Racing Form handicapper Brad Free has made Laurel River the 5-2 favorite in preliminary odds for the Dirt Mile. Jack Christopher is the early second choice at 3-1, and Cyberknife is next on the line at 4-1.
Slow Down Andy, who is 12-1, is a three-time graded stakes winner. Those victories have come in the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby, the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby, and the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. The 3-year-old was facing older rivals for the first time in the Awesome Again.
“I thought he ran lights out,” O’Neill said. “He broke a step awkward. He didn’t break super clean. He fought all the way to the wire – really a great example of how gutsy he is and how he can handle some adversity in a race.”
:: Breeders' Cup Pre-Entry PPs Now Available - Exclusively with a BC Package
Mario Gutierrez has ridden Slow Down Andy throughout his career and has the mount in the Dirt Mile, O’Neill said. Slow Down Andy is a son of Nyquist owned by his breeder, Reddam Racing. Nyquist won the 2016 Kentucky Derby for Reddam Racing, O’Neil, and Gutierrez.
Laurel River earned a berth into the Dirt Mile for his win last out at Del Mar in the Pat O’Brien, which was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race. The other BC Challenge winner pre-entered is Senor Buscador, who captured the Ack Ack at Churchill Downs.
Cody’s Wish won the Forego at Saratoga in his most recent start. The Beyer Speed Figure of 112 that he earned is one of the highest numbers put up in 2022.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.