Hovdey: Sprint or Dirt Mile? That is the question

Charlie Whittingham and his partners Howell Wynne and Mary Bradley had one of the country’s best horses poised for the 1985 Breeders’ Cup at Aqueduct. But for one of the few times in his Hall of Fame training career, Whittingham was not sure which way to turn.

Greinton was one of those European makeovers for which Whittingham had become rightfully famous. The son of Green Dancer had a modest record overseas, but in Whittingham’s hands, he became a tough, fast, and versatile older runner. In 1985, Greinton won the Californian and the Hollywood Gold Cup on dirt and was an unlucky second to the British gelding Teleprompter in the Arlington Million.

Greinton’s race before the Breeders’ Cup – a close fourth in a thrilling Marlboro Cup won by Chief’s Crown – gave Whittingham just enough pause to wonder if his star was not more suited to firm East Coast grass rather than sandy loam. As entries for the Breeders’ Cup approached, the trainer was doing a Hamlet: roll the dice on the dirt in the 1 1/4-mile Classic or try to stretch Greinton’s class 1 1/2 miles in the Turf?

Greinton went for the Turf at a supplemental cost of $240,000 and finished seventh to Pebbles. Sixth would have earned him a $20,000 consolation prize, but he missed that by a nose. Four months later, as if to rub it in, Greinton reappeared to win the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap – at 1 1/4 miles on dirt.

Over the subsequent 30 years of Breeders’ Cup drama, any number of owners and trainers have been blessed with talented horses who did not quite fit, even with the increase in the number of races. The most glaring catch basin for “tweeners” has become the $1 million Dirt Mile, which will be run for the ninth time on Friday, Oct. 30.

And what a mile it will be, a mile like never before in the 79-year history of Keeneland, because they don’t run one-mile races on the main track at Keeneland. Until now.

The circumference of the track is 1 1/16 miles, with a finish line placed close to the clubhouse turn. For the Dirt Mile, the starting gate will be positioned in front of the stands, just to the right of the finish line and 463 feet from the first turn. Of that distance, 210 feet will be a running start before the clock starts. And because of the proximity to that first turn, only 12 entrants will be allowed. Still, woe to the speed horse who draws post 12.

It has been an ongoing shame that the Dirt Mile, if you really need one, could not be consistently presented over a one-turn eight furlongs that has come to define the genre. As presented in events like the Metropolitan, the Kelso, and the Cigar Mile in New York, and even the Woodbine Mile on grass in Canada, it is a satisfying stage, affording very few excuses and every runner a fighting chance.

Earlier reports of the Breeders’ Cup descending upon Keeneland had the Dirt Mile being offered at an extended 7 1/2 furlongs from the backstretch chute. Those rumors eventually were quashed, giving way to a more traditional, if awkward, presentation around two turns – the first of which will come up in the blink of an eye.

Apparently, it will not matter to Appealing Tale, the 5-year-old son of Tale of the Cat who won the Kelso last weekend in the slop at Belmont Park. He was back home at the San Luis Rey Downs Training Center the next day, his body language telling trainer Peter Miller that all was well.

“Does he look like he just went to New York, beat Honor Code, and came back again?” Miller said, giving the big, dark bay a turn in the stall.

No, was the answer, and Appealing Tale agreed, pinning his ears at his visitor in true Tale of the Cat fashion. Appealing Tale has been on a roll since late spring, finishing a close second to Catch a Flight in the San Diego Handicap at 1 1/16 miles and then beating Breeders’ Cup Sprint contender Wild Dude in the seven-furlong Pat O’Brien Stakes. The Kelso was his ninth race of the season.

Horses adept at seven or eight furlongs win the six-furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint often, which means Miller and owner Gary Barber can choose between the Sprint and the Dirt Mile for their hot horse. Winning the Sprint could mean a championship and a bigger purse than the Dirt Mile. Winning the Dirt Mile would mean winning a Breeders’ Cup event and a million-dollar race, and since Appealing Tale is a gelding, that is the point of the exercise.

“The Sprint is stacked pretty deep with very good horses,” Miller noted. “We’ll cross-enter, but I’m 90 percent sure we’ll go for the Dirt Mile.”

Miller was a traveling groom for Whittingham in 1985 and in New York with Greinton for the Breeders’ Cup. Had there been a Dirt Mile then, Greinton would have been odds-on after shading 1:33 at Hollywood Park that summer. Miller was asked if Whittingham sought his opinion on which way Greinton should have gone, Turf or Classic.

“Uh, no,” Miller replied. “I was lucky if he said, ‘Good morning.’ ”

And if Charlie had asked, what would the 19-year-old Miller have answered?

“You’re the boss, Mr. Whittingham.”