The PID Mile ($150.00 Purse)
PID- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Dirt
September 18, 2026

We head back to western PA now for the fifth running of the PID Mile, which is a $150.00 ungraded stake which actually goes a little more than a mile on the main track. During it’s young tenure, it has always been ungraded and the purse has been constant since the second year, but it did initially debut at $200.00. Last year, the race was won by Molecule Man, then for Night Rider Stables. Since then, the horse has been owned by three different trainers, as he was not able to maintain the stake winning form and has been passing through the claiming ranks. We’ll have eleven heading to the gate, and we’ll start with quite a big name!

1- Quiet Return (John Henry, ridden by S X Bridgmohan)- Just prior to writing up this race, I wrote the preview for the Grade 1 JC Gold Cup at BEL, a race that was won by Quiet Return last year. This gelding has had a great career, winning over $7,400.00, and of course being the 2023 KYD winner. However, since the JC Gold Cup, he has failed to finish in the top half of any field. All of those starts continued to be graded races, though the last two also went for a $150.00 purse like this one. I’d love to write a triumphant recap centered around him, especially on the same day I’ll write up this year’s JC Gold Cup, but am skeptical because he just hasn’t been close.

2- Bold Dummy (Serenity Stables, ridden by J Lezcano)- After winning back to back races late last year, Bold Dummy would get some time off and eventually be placed into the March auction. There, he would be purchased by Serenity Stables for $27.99, and has made four starts and his new silks. He’s done everything but win, and has run well both while on the lead and coming from off the pace. That level of consistency will have in the mix here, and at that point, anything can happen.

3- Double Vision (Spb Racing, ridden by F Geroux)- Throughout his 37-race career, Double Vision could be counted on to finish somewhere in the top four. Recently, he has been particularly consistent in the overnight races he takes place in, and was last seen here in an optional claimer last month where he was second. All of that gives him a well-deserved chance to run at the stake level for the first time. Let’s see if he makes the most of it.

4- Capiche (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by W Alencar)- Capiche is no stranger to running in big races, and he joins Quiet Return as being a former BC runner. For the five year old gelding that came last year in the BC Sprint, where he ran sixth. That year also saw a win in the Grade 1 Forego a couple months prior. He’s been dropped in class since then, and finds himself in a new barn, having been sold in private sales for $30.00 last month. A successful D J C debut here could lead to renewed graded opportunities.

5- Rocket Bizz (Luz International, ridden by S Elliott)- A veteran of 24 races, winning eight times and impressively hitting the board in 21 of them. With one exception, they are all in overnights, including a period where he changed hands in claimers multiple times. He’s been asked to do more by Luz International, being moved to the dirt, and then winning twice and making his stake debut at LA for the Bertrando Stakes, for CA-breds. In that, he was certainly not out of place, running third. Seems to be enjoying running on the main track.

6- Strike (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by H VillGomez)- We saw Strike in the KYD this year, but his experience there was not the same as Quiet Return’s back in 2023. Strike had been good in preps, but that did not show in either the KYD or the BEL a month later. He has since rebounded when most of the division’s stars went on to bigger races, and himself finished second in the IND Derby. Three weeks ago, he would win the St. Louis Derby at FP, so a race like this is certainly in his wheelhouse.

7- Nice Storm (The Sidley Stud, ridden by L Contreras)- Providing that there are some really good horses running at fair tracks, all seven of his races this year have been at them. He doesn’t have seven wins, though, taking just three, but he has been able to pick up paychecks. In total, they have amounted to $9.89. His works are good, and always have been, making the question not if he is capable of running well here, but one of, why has he been at fair tracks all year?

8- Malediction (Nakamura Stables, ridden by T Kingsley)- Last month, Malediction ran here in an optional claimer and went wire to wire, opening up a big lead before holding off Double Vision at the wire. Malediction is experienced in races like this, and was at his best around this time last year, winning the $250.00 Super Derby at LAD as his signature victory. While he has won this year, they have not been in the biggest races he attempted. Trying the turf went well to start, but was not sustained at least for now. This race represents a good test.

9- Extra Grusome (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by G A Martinez)- Picked up the second win of his career last time out at MTH in an optional claimer in what was his 14th start. The trainer has been trying a little bit of everything with him in terms of conditions, but it does seem that going long is the best for him. Both of his wins have been at a mile and a sixteenth, so perhaps he can makes this jump. His works are right in line with most of the others in here. This is anyone’s race, but he’s a little too hit and miss for me.

10- Pop Up (Happy Tuesday, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Pop Up has made two starts for Happy Tuesday since the trainer picked him up in the June auction for $10.02. He’d make a positive impression right away by running second in a PRX optional claimer, then routed a field in the slop with a wire to wire effort here last month. This is a horse that does have some stake experience earlier in his career, and he even won the DED Mile last November. While he did appear to hit a slump, he’s found his groove again in this barn, and I like that. Very appealing choice.

11- Forever Martian (High Voltage, ridden by G Corrales)- Last year as a three year old, Forever Martian took part in some very big ON-bred races, including none other than the Kings Plate. He didn’t only show up, either, and finished third in that race while hitting the board. Unfortunately, outside of Canada after that, he was very inconsistent and ultimately saw his prior trainer ready to give him up for cheap claiming tags. High Voltage stepped up, grabbed him for $9.50 in June and placed him into the SD Handicap afterward. Did run fourth in that, but it looks more like a best of the rest type fourth than a competitive one. We’ll get a clearer answer here.

Prediction: 6-10-3-5

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded