Met Mile field $25 million strong

ELMONT, N.Y. – With all due respect to the Belmont Stakes, the marquee race on Saturday’s 13-race, 10-stakes program at Belmont Park may be the Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap.

The nine horses entered Tuesday for the prestigious Met Mile have amassed a record of 53 wins from 124 starts, including 38 stakes wins, 32 of them group or graded, and earnings of $25,860,598.

Determining the favorite will be interesting. Will it be Mitole, who has never raced beyond seven furlongs but who has won six straight races including the Grade 1 Churchill Downs and has been favored in eight of 10 lifetime starts? Or perhaps McKinzie, the Bob Baffert-trained 4-year-old who won the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths last month at Churchill Downs and has been favored in eight of 10 starts?

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McKinzie will break from post 2 and Mitole to his immediate outside in post 3 in this fabulous renewal of the Met Mile.

“I was hoping to draw outside,” said Baffert, who won the 2017 Met with Mor Spirit. “You got to get the right trip, but he hasn’t drawn well. He’s always been inside.”

Mitole hadn’t raced beyond six furlongs until he won the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Handicap at seven-eighths last month. Now, he will be trying a mile for the first time.

“Off of the Churchill Downs Handicap we felt like he deserves this opportunity,” said trainer Steve Asmussen, who won this race last year with Bee Jersey.

On Tuesday, Mitole breezed a half-mile in 49.40 seconds at Churchill Downs. He was scheduled to ship to New York on Wednesday.

Coal Front, who drew the rail, is 7 for 9, including a Group 2 victory in the Godolphin Mile. Firenze Fire, who drew post 7, is 3 for 3 at Belmont, including victories in the Champagne at 2, Dwyer at 3 and Runhappy this year.

The others entered are two-time Dubai World Cup winner Thunder Snow (post 4), Tale of Silence (post 5), Promises Fulfilled (post 6), Pavel (post 8), and Prince Lucky (post 9).

The Met Mile is a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Brown enters four in Manhattan

Bricks and Mortar, a two-time Grade 1 winner already this year, heads a four-horse contingent from trainer Chad Brown in the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan at 1 1/4 miles on turf. Bricks and Mortar, who has won 8 of 10 starts, drew post 8 in the 10-horse field.

Brown also entered Raging Bull, Robert Bruce, and Olympico.

Channel Maker, winner of the Grade 1 Man o’ War here last month, drew post 10. Trainer Bill Mott had hedged whether to enter Channel Maker, but ultimately the decision from the ownership group was to run.

The others entered in the Manhattan are Catcho En Die, Qurbaan, Channel Cat, Bandua, and Epical.

The rest of the stakes:

◗ Come Dancing drew the rail and Midnight Bisou drew post 2 in the Grade 1, $700,000 Ogden Phipps, which drew only five fillies and mares. The Phipps, a Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, also lured Pacific Wind, Escape Clause, and Mopotism.

◗ Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress drew the rail in a nine-horse field entered in the Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile. Outside of Serengeti Empress are, in post order, Jeltrin, Cookie Dough, Bell’s the One, Fancy Dress Party, Proud Emma, Guarana, Queen of Beas, and Ce Ce.

◗ The multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall, a winner of seven of eight career races, heads a field of seven entered in the Grade 1, $700,000 Just a Game going a mile on turf. Rushing Fall, coming off a win in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley at Keeneland in April, drew post 4 in a field of seven. Also entered were Daddy Is a Legend, Bellevais, Beau Recall, Capla Temptress, Environs, and Got Stormy.

◗ Disco Partner has won the Jaipur Invitational as a Grade 3 in 2017, a Grade 2 in 2018, and Saturday he will try to the win $400,000 six-furlong turf sprint as a Grade 1. To do so, he will have to beat World of Trouble, who is trying to add this Grade 1 on turf to his Grade 1 victory on dirt in the Carter in April. The nine-horse field also includes Undrafted, Om, Dirty, Diamond Oops, Belvoir Bay, and Wild Shot.

◗ Alwaysmining, 11th in the Preakness, will wheel back in three weeks in the $150,000 Easy Goer Stakes, which goes as race 3. Alwaysmining drew the outside post in the six-horse field, which includes Still Dreaming, Dream Maker, Grumps Little Tots, Outshine, and Majid.

◗ Led by Marconi, trainer Todd Pletcher sends out a three-horse entry in the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational, which has been carded as the 13th and final race on the card (post time 8 p.m.). Pletcher also entered Biblical and You’re to Blame. The remainder of the field comprises Campaign, Soneteer, War Story, Rocketry, and Realm.

◗ First post Saturday is 11:35 a.m.