The OP Mile – Grade III
OP Race #1 1m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $500.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.

I have just finished writing up the AR Derby and whilst those Derby qualifiers bring their own drama, I still love writing about the old warriors that become household names.
We see a great field of warriors here, let’s see how they line up:

1 Individuation Mb Stables Moore R L 122 —

The draw monster is being kind to Mb Stables this weekend and he finds another inside draw with his wonder horse Individuation. Already the winner of $8,000.000 a big season this year and a BC win will see him firmly into the very short list of all-time greats. I think as a five-year-old he has probably reached or maintained his peak and whereas before the BC Classic winner may have found the mile a little sharp, he showed last time he has the game now to win over just about any trip. He was dominant in the GP Mile last time running the perfect tactical race and with this draw I expect more of the same today.

2 South China Sea Fractious Velazquez J R 122 —

Whilst Individuation is the benchmark here he is not the only winning chance and there is plenty to like about this six-year-old. Interestingly in the AR Derby and this race the two rival stables have drawn one and two, coincidence maybe but it makes a change for these stables to be racing on equal terms, as far as the draw goes anyway. Changing stables last year, he went from a maiden and claimer winner to a big stakes horse, something the trainer has been able to do at will this year. He started his run of four in a row with a win in the Tokyo Cup and then what used to be the BC Marathon. After a quiet win on seasonal debut, he showed he had lost none of that improvement with a win in the Mineshaft last time setting up this great clash.
This is probably his biggest test, and he is back four furlongs from his best win to try and beat one of the greats of the game. Can he do it, well I think he can but dropping back to the mile may test him.

3 Gorogue Laga Arindel Lopez P 122 —

He was favorite for the KYD and finished close up before winning the Preakness but after the strain of that campaign he took a while to find his form again. Strangely for a Preakness winner he found his form again in the Malibu taking that grade one at the end of the year after a good fifth in the BC Classic. There is no doubting this one’s potential and whilst it is hard to say a dual grade one winner and the winner of over $2,500.000 is still to fulfill that potential, I do feel he has struggled a bit since his early three-year-old campaign. Moving on to 2024 and we saw a continuation of that will to sprint on seasonal debut when he took an open allowance over six and a half furlongs and moves up to the mile today which should suit. He can certainly win this, but it is hard to know which horse will turn up today.

4 Dayton Pan Farms Smith M E 122 —

This lightly raced sort exploded onto the scene in the Day Mile last year running third after just two starts. He hasn’t won again since those first two starts but has run some big races including a close up fifth in the BC Dirt Mile and second beaten under a length by Gorgue Laga in the Malibu. He was very disappointing in the Pegasus World Cup on seasonal debut but has worked very strongly since so I am willing to put a line through that. His best puts him inside the top three.

5 Xavier Breath Maxmillion Farm Garcia Mar 122 —

He has found some good form as he has aged, and he won the Razorback Handicap with a bit in hand last time suggesting that he has taken a small step up his improvement curve at age six. I am not sure his form measures up to Individuation but if there are chinks in a few of these then this horse that loves the mile will find them.

6 No One Hit Wonder Riggins Racing Ferrer J C 122 —

In one month, this horse’s works went from 1.38 for the mile to 1.36 and 2 signaling some rapid moves up their improvement curve. His form hasn’t signaled the same thing, but he did run a nice race in the General George last time suggesting that there is something more to come. If there was one, I would call a dark horse here it would be this one and he could be well worth a Disney dollar each way if the odds monkeys have him at 50/1.

7 Rush D J C Racing Stables Lezcano J 122 —

His works say he is up to this, but his form doesn’t, a familiar story here at HRP these days as work promise seems to get more distant from race performance. The one thing that draws me to this horse is the trainer who is in great form and that can often add a length to performance.

8 Lunar Victory Fractious Franco M 122 —

It is amazing to think that this horse has only managed two wins in his fifteen-race career considering his form lines and works. His two races this year seem to signal that he is coming to his best, pushing Individuation to a half-length in the GP Mile last time was probably a career best performance. The draw is against him today, but he may be improving enough to get even closer this time. Again, striking similarities to the AR Derby draw we see the best chances drawn inside and wide.

9 Demon Wood Duck Stables Geroux F 122 —

This one was widely seen as a sprinter and has contested the BC Sprint for the last two years but as these horses age they seem to find the ability to move around trips more easily and he has made the switch to a mile plus this year with some success. Very impressive from a wide draw in the LA Stakes he used all his pace to run them into the ground and was made favorite to win the Mineshaft last time out. The rain came that day and tripped him up, but he still ran into third which was a great performance. So, forgetting the wet track form and hoping for a dry track he can certainly use the wide gate speed push today to get where he wants to be and dictate again. If there’s an upset on the cards this may be the one to do it.

10 Living In The Matrix TwinTowersRacing Beschizza A 122 —

The three wide horses have all shown some early pace so with the wide gate speed push we may see a speed battle up front. This one has traditionally fallen out of the race from the front but didn’t do any better as a closer so I think his best chances may come from the lead or the stalk today. he is up against it that is for sure, but he worked strongly recently and anything from this stable should be taken seriously.

11 Galapagos Night Rider Stables Castellano J J 122 —

Out wide in the car park we find this horse running over what is probably his best trip. He is a consistent type and a top four would not surprise but he has yet to show consistent star quality at this level and is up against a strong field here. I think his best chances come from the lead or the stalk and the wide gate speed push will help him achieve that so he may be adding value to trifecta’s

SUMMARY

Another great field and one that on paper looks like it will be another big win for Individuation. He won’t have it easy though and I can see a few here that will find any weakness in him. The Fractious pair will push him for sure and if Demon gets a run, then he could be a danger too.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES