BC Mile (Grade 1)- $2,000.00 Purse
KEE- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Turf
October 31, 2026

Over the course of the last year, we have been treated to some excellent turf racing, and while this division will never be the most talked about in comparison to others, we have been treated to some great horses that have ended up in the BC Mile. Look no further than the first ever running of the race, when Alpha Ultimo earned the win. Many greats have followed, such as horses like Seven Years and Sir Tom, names that aren’t going to be mentioned a lot these days, but when they were racing a decade ago, they were exciting and had a good little rivalry that went on between them for a little while. Only once has the BC Mile had a repeat winner, and you have to go back in the history book a little, as Jagged Account won in 2005 and 2007.

We will not have a repeat winner this year, either, even though we had two winners in 2025. At DMR a year ago, there was no separating seven year old Hawaiian Lord from three year old Moonligtonthewabash, but neither did much this year. For Hawaiian Lord, trained by Our Athletes, he didn’t have a choice as was given a much deserved retirement right after the race, ending a career that saw him earn over $3,800.00 in 51 races. He has some foals around now who look pretty interesting, such as Hanalei Pier, who ran fourth in the $200.00 Seeking The Ante at SAR in September. As a gelding, High Voltage’s Moonligtonthewabash will not be able to follow a similar path, but has struggled in 2026 to make an impact. 2024 winner Jakarta did run in the BC Mile last year as well, and while his year this year can’t be described as poor, he was not quite up to old form to see his way back here unless he gets help. He, is after all, the first also eligible.

This year’s field of fourteen will give us a new name to add to the list, but as most of these horses are between four and six, we may just be getting a winner this year that can go back to back next year. Let’s take a look at those runners now!

1- Ello Santa (Mb Stables, ridden by J R Velazquez)- We are going to get right to it with one the favorites for the race. Ello Santa was the second best Mb Stables- trained horse on the BC Mile points leaderboard this year, earning 20 points for this race. Only stablemate Seven Is Lucky had more. Ello Santa, a NJ-bred, has won half of his 22 career starts, and scored two graded wins earlier this year, both coming in the spring with the Kilroe Mile (Grade 2) and Makers Mark Mile (Grade 1), the second of which came right here at KEE. He hasn’t won any of his four races since, but in three of them he was within a length of the winner, and he’s going up against the best every time. BC races are nothing new to him, as back in 2024 he won the Juvenile Turf, and last year he ran third in the BC Turf.

2- Kidding (High Voltage, ridden by U Rispoli)- The year may have seen Moonligtonthewabash do little, but High Voltage won’t be locked out of the BC Mile this year, thanks to Kidding. At 8 years of age, he is the elder statesman of the group, and career start #56 will be the absolute biggest of his career. He’s won once over seven starts this year, and has hit the board four times. The victory came in May at AQU in the Fort Marcy, but other than that there is not much other than his age and experience that are going to intimidate the two on each side of him in the starting gate. He was 28th in the BC Mile points.

3- Seven Is Lucky (Mb Stables, ridden by R Santana Jr)- Mb Stables has won the BC Mile once in his career, coming in 2017, and it is safe to say his chances of doing that a second time are pretty good. Seven Is Lucky is only lucky in name, as after all, he is pretty darn good. But if you want to go the luck route, let’s just mention that a win here would be the seven-year old gelding’s seventh on the year, making “7-11″ (7 for 11) in 2026. He earned 40 BC Mile points, topping the charts, thanks to wins in the Forester Turf Classic, Shoemaker Mile, Wise Dan, and the AP Million. Need I say more? Didn’t think so. Put him down as the race favorite, but this is the BC, and that doesn’t mean anything. Although, he may have luck on his side, too, he just hasn’t had to use it yet.

4- Brit Style (Lemax Farms, ridden by A Fresu)- Last year was certainly memorable for Lemax Farms as the trainer won two BC races, the first two for a stable that open its doors in 2009. One of the two that got it done was Brit Style, coming in the Turf Sprint at DMR. While that may make one think that he had been a long time sprinter, that really was not the case for his career, and it would be running around a mile that was far more common. He would go back to running a mile, and would win the $350.00 Open Verse, before having a successful, though trophyless summer in graded races. Last month, he would return to the winner’s circle by winning the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile, which is an automatic qualifier. He would have been here regardless, placing 12th in BC Mile points.

5- Magnum Opus (Mojica Racing, ridden by J L Ortiz)- On June 2nd, a field of eight loaded into the gate in a $10.00 claimer at PEN. Not many people, other than those involved in the race, cared about it all that much. Mojica Racing took a moment to look at the field, and saw something in a horse named Magnus Opus, who had been running at free tracks over a year. Magnus Opus didn’t even win that claimer, but there’d be more out there for him. In July, he won an allowance at LS, proving to Mojica Racing that they had made the right move with their plan. Next up, he proved he could handle stakes company by running third in the $200.00 Jones Stakes, then after that, what he did was amazing. This $10.00 claimer ran in the $2,000.00 Mint Million and got the win! He followed that up with a not too shabby second in Shadwell Turf Mile here last month. How much more can he do? How much more would he have done if Mojica had him earlier? Mojica has been in the game since 2007 and hopes for his first BC win. Definitely would be a great full circle story if it happened here.

6- Extravagant (Bigchief Stables, ridden by W T Buick)- Was able to get into the race despite finishing 26th on the BC Mile points board, but now has a chance to give his trainer their first BC win. While Extravagant’s SRF’s have been on an upward trend in recent races, his best results came during the spring. In April, he won the $100.00 American Stakes at SA, and then followed that up with a strong third place effort in the Shoemaker Mile. He has not earned anything over his last three starts, but his actual efforts in them have been more competitive than it might seem when you make a quick look at the race line. I would have needed to see more out of him to make him one of my picks, but he’s the type that’s capable of hanging around to the end, and you never know what may happen then.

7- Sioux Arrival (High Voltage, ridden by D E Centeno)- Our second entry into the race from High Voltage, and there is no denying that Sioux Arrival has some impressive career accomplishments. He was a BC runner last year as well, running in the BC Turf as a part of a year that saw win over $1,600.00. This year would begin very nicely for him, winning the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at SA and would later run second in the Shoemaker Mile in May. If this race was in June, you’d be feeling pretty good about him, but three of his last four starts, doing no better than ninth. The exception is the Read Stakes (Grade 2), where he was third in a field of six and never threatened the top two. 16th on the leaderboard, but it would take a career best effort.

8- Legit (Bigchief Stables, ridden by F Pennington)- It’s not only Extravagant that can get Bigchief Stables their first BC win, but Legit will also have the opportunity and appears to be the more legit pick between the two of them. He’s hit the board in all six of his races this year, with two wins along the way. They’re of the ungraded stake variety in theory, but the $300.00 Green River Island at ELP is a nice score regardless of what the race is designated. He’s looked strong in Grade 2’s and 3’s, placing him 24th on the leaderboard. Now, the elephant in the room. Those are nice results in good races. He’s also never attempted a Grade 1.

9- Prince Mbilini (Winning Link Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- This is another barn looking for their first BC win, and there is no denying that the trainer never been better than they have been over the last two years, after initially opening their barn in 2003. Prince Mbilini, who was acquired by the trainer for $22.00 in the March auction, has won three of five starts while running in his new silks. The victories began modestly, but would improve to the Grade 3 Arlington Stakes, then the race that got him here: the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap at SAR. Those results place him 11th on the leaderboard and he’s continuing to put together some excellent works. A problem with him is his inconsistency, as while he does the three wins out of five, the other two are double digit finishes, such as last time out in the Grade 3 Mint Million. That version of Prince Mbilini can’t be seen again.

10- Highway Robber (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Mb Stables brings two excellent contenders into the BC Mile that immediately grab your attention, but they are not the only ones he’s entered. Running in their shadows, so to speak, is Highway Robber, a four year old gelding that ran on the grass for the first time last month in the Grade 1 WO Mile. It’s safe to say that was the right call, as pulled out the victory while earning a 104 SRF and punching his ticket to this race. He was plenty good on the dirt as well, and did run in the BC Dirt Mile last year. If he’s found a new calling on the turf, and can continue to put out 104 SRF’s, he’s got a bright future on this surface.

11- Anna Anna Anna (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Maxmillion Farm is searching for his first win in the BC Mile, and he does seem like a trainer who’s spot on the list is overdue. Anna Anna Anna gets the assignment this year after placing 10th on the leaderboard with 14 points. He was at his best over the summer, earning back to back wins in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes at SAR and then the Grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes at WO. While the winning streak would end, he’d be a respectable fourth in the $2,000.00 Grade 3 Mint Million before following that up with a second in the Shadewll Turf Mile (Grade 1) here at the beginning of the month. Starting from the outside like this is a bit new to him, but he’ll adjust.

12- Rearranger (Our Athletes, ridden by F Geroux)- Looking to give the trainer his second win in a row in the BC Mile, and perhaps this time it won’t require sharing the trophy. Rearranger is a 27-race veteran that did appear in the BC Turf back in 2024. After finishing in the middle of the field in that race, the focus for the horse has been running around a mile, both in his prior barn and continuing into this new one. Rearranger began the year strong, with three consecutive seconds in the Muniz Memorial Handicap (Grade 2), Open Verse, and Poker Stakes (Grade 3), with each of the graded races being a photo finish. Was fourth in the Fourstardave Handicap, but has not been quite as good since then. If the trainer can rearrange that fortune, he can be a contender.

13- American Nightmare (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by E Esquivel)- Another horse that would have had a better chance here if the BC was held during the summer. The five year old gelding has made nine starts, and got off to a strong beginning, winning the Grade 3 Hooper, and then following it up with four consecutive third places finishes, most of which seeing him within a half length of the winner. Those races would be Mineshaft (Grade 3), Kilroe Mile (Grade 2), Makers Mark Mile (Grade 1), and Forester Turf Classic (Grade 1). All looked great, but then, what in the world has happened to him? His decline hit rapidly, and in his last four races, he has been dead last in three of them, and where he wasn’t he was ninth of eleven and beaten by four. Combined over those four races, he has been beaten by 17 lengths. Finished 20th on the leaderboard, earning his spot, but that’s not the horse he is right now. Can D J C find something to reverse the slide?

14- Ultimate Champion (Night Rider Stables, ridden by K Carmouche)- He’s got a large name to live up to, but he has a chance to become a BC champion right here and unlike the one right next to him, the race couldn’t be at a better time. Ultimate Champion has never been as good as he is right now, winning three of his last four, including the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile here earlier in the month. The one race that he did not win in that stretch simply came down to him missing the headbob at the wire with Highway Robber in the WO Mile. Prior to this hot stretch, there were occasional ventures into the graded ranks, but they would never go well. He’s turned the corner on them and has a very good shot here.

Prediction: 3-1-14-4

— NS

Categories: BC 2026, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP