Breeders' Cup Mile: Wise Dan tries to silence doubters

Human brains are wired to best remember the first and, even more so, the last in a series of events.

Only a handful of people remember the first race of Wise Dan’s 26 starts, a fifth-place finish at Turfway Park in February 2010. But as Wise Dan prepares to defend his Breeders’ Cup Mile title, the last event in his racing career is the one scrolling across the screen of many minds.

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There is Wise Dan running through the stretch of the Shadwell Mile four Saturdays ago at Keeneland. Rain has forced the race from turf to Polytrack, but Wise Dan, a tiger on synthetics, has stayed in the field. He chases pace-setting Silver Max around the far turn and into the stretch, and as John Velazquez urges him on, Wise Dan strains, pushes – and fails to catch the leader. Wise Dan had won nine races in a row, a winning machine. The loss came as a shock.[bc_video_id:308862:]

Defeat disappointed no one more than trainer Charlie LoPresti, but LoPresti has another memory still strong in his mind. His image is of Wise Dan coming through the stretch Sept. 15 at Woodbine like a locomotive, setting a course record in the Woodbine Mile with Velazquez a statue in the saddle.

“My jaw dropped watching that,” LoPresti said. “I know some people think he’s lost a step, he’s not the same as he was. I’m not seeing that.”

Nine rivals will try and send Wise Dan to a second straight defeat, something that hasn’t happened in 18 starts and 2 1/2 years. The best of them are Silver Max, the England-based Olympic Glory, and the California-based 3-year-old No Jet Lag. The $2 million Mile is the setup race for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, and Wise Dan ushered in the big one last year with a course-record-setting performance.

In the 2012 Mile, Velazquez worked out a trip for Wise Dan from post 2, and his task might be simpler from post 9 Saturday. Silver Max and Obviously will supply the speed, and Wise Dan, with an alert break, should settle in behind the two leaders and comebacking front-runner Bright Thought.

The Mile pace could sizzle. Obviously, a gallant third in the 2012 Mile, was outrun for the early lead in the Oct. 5 City of Hope Mile and wound up fourth. Trainer Mike Mitchell wants Obviously and jockey Joe Talamo to show the way Saturday.

“We’re training him to run his old style of race,” Mitchell said. “I can’t change his tactics. That’s who he is.”

Obviously has post 4, Silver Max post 3, and trainer Dale Romans swore Wednesday morning Silver Max would give no early ground. Silver Max has jumped forward to a new career peak in his last three starts and has been the first-call leader in every race showing in his past performance lines.

“I don’t think anyone can outrun Silver Max to the lead,” Romans said. “He can set those fast splits and keep going.”

Keeping in mind Romans is a master at cloaking tactics, the Mile pace figures to be swift, which on the fast-playing Santa Anita course means an opening half-mile in 45 seconds and change. Can Olympic Glory keep up? And has a powerful winning performance only two weeks ago in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot drained him? Yes, to the first question, no to the second, according to his jockey, Richard Hughes.

“With another horse you’d be concerned about the two weeks,” said Hughes, riding Olympic Glory back to the quarantine barn after his Wednesday training session. “He was bucking and kicking two days after the last race.”

Olympic Glory’s best runs have come from far off the pace, but Hughes claims he has more speed if asked. Blinkers were added for the QE II, and Hughes said they made a tremendous difference.

“He’s a very lazy horse,” Hughes said. “At home, he won’t pass a common horse in his work.”

No Jet Lag raced in England in 2011 and early in 2012, and after a promising start to his career, his form fell apart in two starts this spring. Firm turf and a more permissive raceday medication policy in the U.S. have helped No Jet Lag develop into a formidable miler. He won a first-level allowance at Del Mar in his first start for trainer Simon Callaghan and rallied from mid-pack to beat Mile rival He Be Fire N Ice in the City of Hope.

“The things he was showing us in the morning before his first race were pretty spectacular,” said Callaghan, who has been similarly impressed with No Jet Lag’s recent training.

He Be Fire N Ice, Za Approval, and perhaps even Cristoforo Colombo look like players for the minor awards. In all likelihood, though, Wise Dan is set to deliver another performance to remember.