Indiana Derby, Santa Anita Sprint will fill in blanks for Dirt Mile

In terms of producing potential Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile starters, Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Indiana Derby and the six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint Championship are the long and short of it.

An expected showdown looms in the Grade 2, $500,000 Indiana Derby between Atreides, who will make his graded stakes debut for Florida-based trainer Marty Wolfson, and Vicar’s in Trouble, a three-time graded stakes winner this season for Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trainer Mike Maker. The Ramseys and Maker captured the 2009 Dirt Mile with Furthest Land at odds of 21-1.

Atreides swept his first three starts, all at Gulfstream Park, by better than 25 lengths combined. He earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures each time, capped by a 105 in the one-mile Monarchos Stakes.

Vicar’s in Trouble won the Risen Star Stakes and Louisiana Derby this year and went over $1 million in earnings with a handy score by more than seven lengths in the Super Derby, earning a career-best 99 Beyer.

“Visually, I think it’s one of his best races,” said Maker.

Five of the first seven Dirt Mile winners turned back from longer races, including 2011 winner Caleb’s Posse, who was coming off a third-place finish in the Indiana Derby.

The only horse to stretch out successfully in the Dirt Mile is defending titlist Goldencents, whose three races preceding last year’s triumph were the Bing Crosby, Pat O’Brien, and Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

Goldencents is on the same schedule a year later, having finished second in the Bing Crosby and earning a fees-paid berth to the Dirt Mile with a front-running victory in the Pat O’Brien. Meanwhile, the Santa Anita Sprint Championship is a Win and You’re In for the Sprint, which is also a possibility for the versatile 4-year-old Goldencents.

The one-two finishers in last Saturday’s Homecoming Classic at Churchill Downs, Cigar Street and Departing, are headed down different paths.

Cigar Street, sidelined for nearly a year and a half after winning the 2013 Skip Away for Bill Mott, received a 101 Beyer in beating Departing by a 1 3/4 lengths. The BC Classic or the BC Dirt Mile is a possible next start for the 5-year-old horse.

“Bill Mott is one of the best horsemen in the world,” said co-owner Jake Ballis. “He’s been patient with him, and we just kind of gave him the keys and let him drive because we have so much faith in him. I’d obviously love to go to the Breeders’ Cup, but we’re just going to enjoy this win and talk with Bill, and we’ll see what happens.”

According to trainer Al Stall Jr., Departing is unlikely for the Breeders’ Cup: “I’d say probably the Fayette at Keeneland. We might look down the road at the Clark.”