The OP Mile (Grade 3)- $500.000 Purse
OP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Dirt
March 29, 2025

The build up to the AR Derby on Saturday will feature the fourth running of the Grade 3 OP Mile, a race that is certainly good enough to be the feature race on any other day. The race offers a $500.000 purse, and six very successful horses will battle it out for the top prize. Maxmillion Farm has been the top trainer in the OP Mile thus far, winning in 2023 with the late Crypto and last year with six-year-old gelding Xavier Breath. That one did run in the BC Dirt Mile later in the year, but did not show much and was later sold in private sales for $20.000. Unfortunately, he has struggled in his new barn as well. This year, Maxmillion Farm will be back to try and make it three out of four, so here’s a look at his runner and those he is up against:

1- Lunar Victory (Mb Stables, ridden by P Lopez)- Primarily known for running in the silks of Fractious, Lunar Victory won three out of nine races last year but none bigger that the BC Dirt Mile itself. That would be his last race for Fractious as that barn ended up shutting down shop, and he would be sold in the December auction for $600.000 to Mb Stables. From one top stable to another, Lunar Victory has not missed a beat, running third in the Pegasus World Cup before winning the GP Mile at the start of the month. No reason to think he won’t carry that form into this race.

2- Licit (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- A busy 2024 saw him have productive finishes nearly every time he was out there, but his top victory on the year was the $200.000 Times Square, for NY-Breds, at AQU in April. Ordinarily, that is not seen as a bad thing, but Licit has needed a little bit more to pull off a win in one of the graded races that he has been in. I said exactly the same thing about Tom Kha Gai last week in the San Luis Rey Stakes. Tom Kha Gai ended up winning, and Licit has it in him too.

3- Schopenhauer (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by A Jimenez)- Draws the assignment of having the opportunity to extend the trainer’s winning streak. Until last fall, Schopenhauer was a successful horse in overnights, but in late September, the trainer sent him to the Grade 1 California Crown at SA, where he naturally went up against some very big names. He ran second there with a 103 SRF, showing he had what it takes to run for the highest purses. Continued to run well until last time out in the Fool Handicap. I don’t feel like a fool in throwing that out, given the distance, and expect a strong rebound here.

4- Retaliate (Riggins Racing, ridden by M E Smith)- A onetime stablemate of Lunar Victory, Retaliate made his way to Riggins Racing just in time to run in the BC Sprint for that trainer. After running in the middle of the pack there, Riggins turned his attention to running him at a mile, and right now Retaliate still needs that big win at this distance. At present, that’s an allowance at PRX, but in the Grade 3 Hooper, the Just Missed gelding just missed, and his fourth place run in the GP Mile could be taken either way, I think, about whether or not it was a strong performance. Retaliate is always capable of busting out, though.

5- Nutmeg (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by F Geroux)- Getting ready to make his 33rd career start and is looking for his fourth career win. Obviously, that is not an impressive winning percentage, and the last victory came thirteen months ago in a SA optional claimer. None of his wins have been in any of the stakes that he has been in, and there has been quite a few. We know that TwinTowersRacing is one to keep plugging away in these races if the horse has the potential, and Nutmeg certainly does. Second in his last two starts, and nine times over his career. Might end up a longshot but don’t expect him to be far up the track at the finish.

6- Quiet Return (John Henry, ridden by J R Velazquez)- After spending the entirety of his career with Allinthegate, Quiet Return returns to the track in the silks of John Henry after his new trainer paid $600.000 in a late February private sale. The final totals of his career with the previous trainer sees over $6,000.000 in earnings, highlighted of course by the 2023 KYD win, but he did run third in the BC Sprint four months. A new chapter now begins and based on a work at SA coming into this race, Quiet Return is plenty left to accomplish in his new barn. Expect a strong run, if not a win, in their first race together. I’m not worried about his Razorback Handicap performance here last month.

Prediction: 1-6-3-4

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES