Breeders' Cup Mile: Mott has two contenders in pursuit of first win
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has won nine Breeders’ Cup races. Five times he has won the Distaff, twice the Classic, and twice the Turf, but in the BC Mile, Mott has sent out 19 starters and failed to land the big prize – so far.
Mott has two possible Mile runners this year, Tourist and Celestine, and while neither is a household name like Tepin, both horses have turned in races during 2016 that are good enough to make them legitimate Mile contenders.
Tourist shipped to California, finished second to Mile hopeful Midnight Storm in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in June, and decisively won the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 20 at Saratoga. Celestine set a course record and whipped talented fillies like Recepta and Mrs McDougal in winning the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont in June.
Both horses will see action Oct. 8 at Keeneland, where Tourist runs in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile and Celestine goes in the Grade 1 First Lady for fillies and mares. Tepin, the defending Mile champion and top-rated horse in the division again this year, will start in one of those two races.
This weekend, there are two overseas races worth monitoring for potential BC Mile impact, the Sun Chariot Stakes on Saturday at Newmarket, a race that could include Alice Springs, and the Prix de la Foret on Sunday at Chantilly.
As for Mott, look closer at his BC Mile record, and it’s not surprising that he hasn’t won the race. Courageous Cat in 2009, Geri in 1997, and Paradise Creek in 1992 all came close, finishing second, but none of those three was a favorite. Geri was a 6-1 shot, Courageous Cat 22-1, and Paradise Creek 30-1 – and none of Mott’s other milers was expected to win. Barring brilliant breakouts at Keeneland, neither will Tourist or Celestine, though both brim with upset potential.
Tourist has made only 16 starts, but two of them came in the BC Mile. Two years ago, he lost all chance with a terrible trip from an outside draw, and last year, he was disadvantaged by the sodden autumn course at Keeneland.
“Last year, we became the victim of some soft-ground racetracks, and he prefers firm turf,” Mott said. “I guess there’s a better chance of getting firm ground at Santa Anita than on the East Coast.”
Tourist came out of his Fourstardave win with some filling in a foreleg, but he has posted two recent works for the Shadwell, and though he has raced only four times this year, his season has gone smoother than in 2015, when he was late to make the races.
As for Celestine, she has been out of action since the June 11 Just a Game, and Mott held her out of the Lake George in July at Saratoga, a race for which she had been listed as a probable runner. But Celestine is a Grade 1 winner whose best trip is one mile and who prefers firm going, and it makes sense to keep her fresh for the BC Mile, which should be run under very suitable conditions.
“We’ll have to see how she does at Keeneland but of course will consider the Mile,” Mott said.