Shadwell Turf Mile (Grade 1) (BC)- $1,250.000 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
October 4, 2025
If trainers are hoping to get into the BC Mile by virtue of winning a “win and you’re in” race, Saturday’s running of the Shadwell Turf Mile is their last chance to do so. With just a month to go now before we enjoy the biggest weekend in racing, a field of fourteen has made their way to KEE with visions of either getting into the BC Mile or solidifying their spot in the race. This will be the 21st time that the race has been run, and the $1,250.000 purse, a high for the Shadwell, returns! Only once has the winner of this race gone on to win the BC Mile in the same year, and that happened in 2019 with Mo Mentum Farm’s Mojave Rattler. That trainer is also the defending winner of the race, as he saddled Chagrin Falls last year. After Chagrin Falls won the Shadwell, he could only manage an eighth place run in the BC. That’s not the end of his story, though, as he is back again to try and win this for the second year in a row, something that has never been done. We’ll talk about him a more in a little bit, as let’s also meet the ones that will be standing his way with their own goals in mind:
1- Oh Brother (Spankys Barn, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Appears to be heading back to the BC for the third straight year, as he already has 16 points for the BC Mile and is seventh on the leaderboard. He’s earned two massive wins in this, his six-year-old season, with the first one coming in April right here in the Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile. His other big win wasn’t too far from here, when he captured the $2,500.000 Grade 3 Mint Million at KD. He’s attained a triple digit SRF in his last four starts, and in six of his last seven. No reason to think that can’t continue.
2- Jakarta (Nakamura Stables, ridden by I Castillo)- Also looking to make it into a BC race for the third year in a row, and for Jakarta, that would mean having a chance to win the BC Mile two years in a row. There’s been no drop off with him this year, with two wins in six races, and hitting the board in four of them. He’s had a lot of success out west lately, winning in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at SA as well as the Grade 2 DMR Mile last time out. Regularly puts out triple digit SRF’s and is second on the BC Mile leaderboard.
3- Seven Is Lucky (Mb Stables, ridden by G Corrales)- In 2023, Seven Is Lucky ran in the Shadwell and finished second, and that time of year is when he was on his best form. Despite that runner up, he did not take part in any BC races. Most of his starts this year have been in open allowances, with his last win coming in one of them back in February, a race that Jakarta was actually entered into as well but scratched. On soft turf, something that he’s become familiar with, Seven Is Lucky was fourth in the Grade 3 Mint Million from KD last time out.
4- Hawaiian Lord (Our Athletes, ridden by F Geroux)- An impressive two-time winner of the Fourstardave Handicap at SAR, and to make Fourstardave proud, he is set to make his 50th career start. Hawaiian Lord doesn’t always win, as his Fourstardave victories make up 40% of his career wins, and his only wins since 2023, but that won’t stop him from making his third BC Mile start next month as long as the trainer wants him there. Here, Hawaiian Lord looks to make one more start, and if he can follow up his second place run in the Mint Million, he may get a piece of this purse. Perhaps, even win.
5- Orange Man Awesome (Lanfranco Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- The trainer is throwing a hail Mary on this one to get try and get into the BC. Last month, he made his graded debut in the WO Mile, and was simply flat from start to finish, running dead last with an ugly race line. If he’s entered here, the trainer is obviously confident that will not happen again, and we all know that one bad race should not be a death sentence. However, I’ll have to see it on the track, first.
6- State Apples (Mb Stables, ridden by M Franco)- This might be the first time I’ve covered this horse, as it’s a name I don’t recognize despite having a solid amount of stake experience. One of those races includes last year’s running of the Shadwell Turf Mile. He didn’t beat anyone that day, but has made more progress this year, grabbing a win in the Grade 2 Wise Dan following a pair of seconds in other graded races. Hasn’t cashed a check in his last two starts, and his SRF’s are down a bit, though he could have enough of an excuse in each of them to not be that worried about them. Presently 19th on the BC Mile leaderboard.
7- Chagrin Falls (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- Here he is, the winner of the Shadwell Turf Mile last year, and looking to be the first to ever win this race on two occasions. When he ran in that in 2024, it was on the heels of running second in the KD Turf Cup, a race that was his first start on the grass in two years. Chagrin Falls stayed on the turf for a while, even after a mid-pack run in the BC Mile. In July, he went back to the main track, and picked up a couple of good results there, showing his versatility, but is now back to defend his title here.
8- Cage Rage (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by K Roman)- After a nice summer at SAR that saw him run third in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes prior to winning the Grade 3 Kelso Stakes, Cage Rage made his way to KD last month. There, he would be one of the handful of horses in this field that also ran in the Mint Million. Unfortunately, it would not go well for him that day with a dismal outing, which will beg the question of how much we want to point our finger at the soft turf that day. It’s apparent that he doesn’t like it wet, as even when he’s been third on soft turf before, he was nowhere near the front. He won’t have to worry about that here.
9- Extravagant (Bigchief Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Extravagant may think that running on a dry track is what is unusual, and not a wet one, as four of his last five races have been on off tracks. That has not stopped him from getting positive results, and that includes a trip of his own to KD last month. While many others in here ran in the Mint Million, Extravagant only took on fellow three-year-olds in the $2,000.000 Gun Runner and was second. Could be lost in the shuffle at the betting window but cannot be ruled out.
10- Bear Head (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by D Z Gaskin)- I was very impressed with the way that this one ran two starts ago, when he not only won the Grade 3 Secretariat Stakes at CNL, but he did so by three lengths. He had been solid in the BEL Derby right before that as well, so when he appeared in the $2,000.000 Gun Runner, there was every reason to make him one of the top choices. As the post time favorite, he ran poorly and only defeated one of his rivals. Was it the rain? His off-track results could seem deceiving as the better results are when it’s listed as good, and when it’s soft, he struggles. Look for a reminder of why he was the Gun Runner post time favorite.
11- Misting (Winning Link Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- His name may be Misting, but he apparently does not want to be anywhere near a wet track. As seems to be the case with a few of these that raced at KD last month, Misting struggled mightily on soft turf where he was beaten by twelve lengths. That’s a far cry to his second-place finish right before that in the Fourstardave at SAR. While he is just beginning to take on stake competition, it’s evident that the track needs to be dry for him to be at his best. We’ll be able to see that from him here.
12- Sick Boi (Royalty Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Give me another horse that ran in the Mint Million last month, please. Sick Boi was there as well, and was not hindered by the rain, handling the soft going en route to a third-place effort. He was a surprising entry in that, since he had only been on the main track since January 2024, and had run in the Whitney right before going to KD. That result gives the trainer confidence to run him here against many he beat in the Mint Million, but this time will get the best shot of those rivals with no rain expected.
13- Neon Lightning (Nakamura Stables, ridden by R Bejarano)- This is the third three-year-old in the field, and all three of them were in the $2,000.000 Gun Runner at KD last month. Neon Lightning was the winner of that race, stalking the pace after starting from an outside post and running strong all the way to the wire for the victory. He’s been a part of the exacta in each of his last five races, working his way up in class. The depth of the field will make this his biggest test yet, but he is up for it. All of the three-year-olds in the field have a three-pound weight allowance.
14- Poison Arrow (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- The gelding by Inside Draw will come from the outside post in his eighth start of the year. His last race, where he was fifth in the WO Mile, is the only time that he has not hit the board this year. Won the $350.000 Opening Verse at CD in May in what was his first race on the grass since November 2023. While he did run well on the dirt and will be remembered for running on the second in the 2024 KYD, Poison Arrow’s focus has been on the BC Mile. Others are more appealing, but he could get it done.
Prediction: 1-10-2-7
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES