Breeders' Cup Mile: Expect to see little less of Wise Dan in 2014

ARCADIA, Calif. – Wise Dan does not long linger over his Breeders’ Cup triumphs in Southern California. Late Saturday afternoon, for the second year in a row, he won the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, and, just like last year, the horse left Santa Anita in the middle of Saturday night. By noon Eastern on Sunday, Wise Dan had arrived at the airport in Louisville, Ky., with only a van ride back to trainer Charlie LoPresti’s training base at Keeneland left on his travel itinerary.

The 6-year-old Wise Dan is a gelding, and in his stall and daily life he is well mannered and approachable. But, as his career record of 19 wins from 27 starts demonstrates, Wise Dan possesses a burning competitive fire. He can be a bear to gallop in daily training, and – like a stud horse – he had handlers with lead shanks positioned on both sides of his head in the saddling area before the Mile.

Wise Dan’s will to win is tremendous – you could nearly feel it through your eyes watching him rallying through the stretch Saturday. As long as that will remains intact and Wise Dan retains the physical tools to use it, he will be back in California for another Breeders’ Cup in 2014.

“As long as he stays like this, he runs,” said Mort Fink, the 84-year-old Chicagoan who bred and owns Wise Dan.

Wise Dan will spend a short time at Keeneland before being let down at LoPresti’s farm near Lexington. LoPresti said Wise Dan doesn’t take long to mellow out and adapt to farm life, and he might have a longer spell of it this winter. For three years, Wise Dan has made his seasonal debut at the Keeneland spring meet in April, but LoPresti could change tactics next season, waiting until later in 2014 to bring Wise Dan back. Wise Dan made seven starts this season, one more than he did last year at age 5, and LoPresti said the horse won’t run as much next year. Wise Dan ran in two handicaps this season, carrying 129 and 128 pounds; LoPresti said handicaps will be left off the horse’s schedule next season.

“These races take their toll,” he said. “I was really a little worried coming into this one. He’s had some tough races this year.”

LoPresti, speaking 40 minutes before the Breeders’ Cup Classic, said he could not make a case for Wise Dan to win his second straight Horse of the Year award if Game On Dude were to win the Classic, but Game On Dude checked in a humbled ninth. Wise Dan’s resume has the same limitations – middle-distance grass races, lack of elite competition – as last year, and includes a loss this season, too. But given the results of Breeders’ Cup weekend, Wise Dan enters season’s homestretch favored to win the award again.

The two horses behind Wise Dan, Za Approval and Silentio, are expected to return for 2014 campaigns, and Silentio probably will see action Nov. 29 in the Citation Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.

“I’d like to run him back there if he continues to train well,” said trainer Gary Mandella.

The apparently inevitable speed duel between Silver Max and Obviously set the race up for closers and doomed the front-runners, though both held decently to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. No Jet Lag could not build on the form that had won the City of Hope Mile here last month and was sixth, while eighth-place He Be Fire N Ice’s connections got no return on the $100,000 they paid to make the horse eligible to the Breeder’s Cup.

English trainer Richard Hannon’s decades-long string of American disappointments continued, as Olympic Glory failed to come close to the form that won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes two weekends ago at Ascot, checking in ninth, running Hannon’s record in North America to 15-0-1-0. An ill-conceived return to racing from a seven-month layoff ended as anticipated for Bright Thought, who tried to make the early lead, failed, and faded to last.

By the time Bright Thought crossed the wire the Santa Anita crowd had hit full throat as Wise Dan and his last-minute replacement rider, Jose Lezcano tore past the finish in 1:32.47. The old guy still has it.