The GP Mile (Grade 2)- $200.000 Purse
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
March 2, 2024

The GP Mile may have only drawn six horses, but it attracted two that are very well known: Individuation and Lets Celebrate. Watching this showdown will certainly be the highlight of the race, and for the other four horses it’s a nice opportunity to potentially knock off a couple of giants. This will make the 21st running of the GP Mile, which is part of the Fountain Of Youth undercard, a race that you will not want to miss. It has been won in the past by the likes of Alpha Ultimo and Tactical, and for the last two years, it was Sexy Back that visited the winner’s circle for Night Rider Stables. He will not be here to attempt a threepeat, but it would have really been interesting if he was. That one was last seen last month at the Pegasus World Cup. Let’s take a look at all six of our horses, as after all, this will definitely not be just a two-horse race.

1- Lunar Victory (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- If you want to bet against the big two, this may be the best choice. Lunar Victory has been no slouch over his career, but keeping from reaching greater heights is the fact that he has only two wins out of his 14 starts. Other than his maiden, he won the $100.000 Lake Ontario Stakes, for ON-Breds, in November. That’s fine and all, but around the same time, two of his rivals were running in the BC Classic. He has a couple of seconds since then, including Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes, but what gets my attention is that this is his preferred distance.

2- Individuation (Mb Stables, ridden by R L Moore)- What Individuation has done over his career cannot be denied, as his earnings are now approaching $8,000.000. Unfortunately for the 2022 BC Classic winner, that total has not moved any over his last two races. One of them was the BC Classic, where he was sixth and missed by a length, so that’s perfectly fine in terms of where the horse is even though it didn’t net a penny. Last month here in the Pegasus World Cup, he was less of a factor, and it actually marked the first time in Individuation’s career that he went two races in a row without cashing a check. I see nothing wrong with him, otherwise, and think this is a good spot for him.

3- Cioppino (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- This is not the first time that Cioppino has shared the starting gate with some of the best horses in the game, but when he has been given one of these assignments, he has not stepped up. Last month, in the Grade 3 LA Stakes at FG, it was a miserable day, finishing tenth and missing by seven lengths. He is a better horse than that, and looking at his general history, you can see that he has those races more often than not where he simply doesn’t feel like racing. I can’t have faith in him here.

4- Galapagos (Night Rider Stables, ridden by Ar Bocachica)- Sexy Back can’t win this race for the third year in a row, but Night Rider Stables still can. Galapagos will have to be a lot better than he was last month in the LA Stakes. He’s day wasn’t quite as terrible as Cioppino’s there, but he surely wasn’t good, managing only an eighth-place finish. Prior to that, he won the $250.000 Empire Classic for NY-Breds while earning a 100 SRF, and he’s been mostly consistent over his career. I’m confident that he will bounce back, but even if he does, it may not be enough.

5- Lets Celebrate (Riggins Racing, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Here’s the other half of our two-headed monster, but Lets Celebrate definitely needs a big result here more than Individuation does. We know how strong his five-year-old season was, with five wins, and over $1,500.000 in earnings. That got him to the BC Classic, but he was up the track all day there. Interestingly, Riggins opted to run him a starter allowance three weeks later likely as a confidence booster for the horse, where he was second. We haven’t really seen him against elite competition since, and even his toughest race: fourth in the Grade 2 San Pasqual at SA, was on the same day as the Pegasus World Cup so it’s interesting that he was not entered there. I still think he’s fine, but he just needs at least top two here.

6- Duppy Story (Ajm Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- This is a horse that knows how to win races, doing so eight times in 17 starts. Those were not always at high levels, but that trend has been seen recently, and includes a win in the $100.000 Robb Stakes at AQU for NY-Breds, leading to his graded debut at the Hooper (Grade 3). He was seventh there, though came on late. The GP Mile will be a great test for Duppy Story, even though he might seem to be outmatched. You have to like that he has a nose for the wire, and a horse like that can never be ruled out. Let’s see if he’s up for the challenge.

Prediction: 2-1-5-4

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES