BC Mile – Grade I

1 Mile Turf Stake Purse $2,000.000 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.

1st= Moonligtonthewabash High Voltage Prat F

22nd in the qualification list and winless all year, it has to be said that this was something not too many expected. Add in that as a three-year-old, he was one of the few in his age group to compete with the older horses in this BC and you have a win, albeit as shared one, that certainly takes some explaining.
Well, I have said for a while that if your form is within two lengths of anything in the field then you have a chance of winning these days at HRP and looking at this one’s form it may not be as unexpected as you first think.
Two lengths behind Zions Birdie in the City Of Hope Mile, one length behind Western Knight in The American Turf and works pretty much the same as anything else say that although he had something to find it wouldn’t take much to give him a chance.
In the race itself he fell back into the back from the inside racing alongside the horse he would eventually dead heat with. For a long time both horses were blocked in which considering the fast pace was probably a godsend. Hawaiian Lord was the first to find a gap, but Prat sat quietly and as the gaps opened for him, he forced Hawaiian Lord wide on the track. In the end these two were a lip in front on the line, racing as they had done for much of the race, right next to each other. This day was his day and though he had to share it I don’t think you will hear too many complaints from his owner.

1st= Hawaiian Lord Our Athletes Geroux F

Well, it has to be said, two things happened today. Firstly, the bridesmaid became the bride and secondly the horse won two races for the first time in a year EVER in a race that really turned the form book upside down.
You can’t help but be a bit proud of this gutsy trier today, traveling pretty much in tandem with the other winner, he did what he did best and put himself in a position to get into the top four. Even then as they raced to the line you still have third by a nose in the back of your mind but today of all days, he managed to just out last them and share a famous win.
At seven he may have peaked, but what a way to do it and just maybe this could be the start of a new, winning Hawaiian Lord.

3rd Zion Birdie La Canada Racehorses Bejarano R

What a brave effort this was, but in a race where the splits were almost identical to the Ciry Of Hope Mile which he won last time, he saw a two-length swing in form that brought the horse that he beat from two lengths back in that race to a lip in front for today.
Right up on speed today, he was closer than he was in the City of Hope which may have just blunted his finish, whether that was a player’s choice or an AI choice we won’t know but it probably cost him the win. He was so game that when he was headed in the final furlong, he actually came back again with such determination that he may have even forced a three-way dead heat if it was over ten yards further. This was a great training effort as this lightly raced three-year-old proved that he was certainly worth his auto qualifying win and I hope that thanks to the trainer’s efforts he will make it to a four-year-old season next year.

4th Seven Is Lucky Mb Stables Velazquez J R

Wide and driving, it was almost a four-way dead heat and if there had been another ten yards it probably would’ve been. The Shadwell Turf winner got a little further back than normal, probably down to the fast early pace but was flying at the end and just failed to get into the first three. This was a big effort from the six-year-old who had gone back to the drawing board a little this year but has certainly been in great form this summer.

5th Big Blue Mb Stables Franco M
6th Jakarta Nakamura Stables Castillo I
7th State Apples Mb Stables Lopez P
8th Bear Head Maxmillion Farm Fresu A
9th Fanatical Empire Bigchief Stables Gutierrez Mario
10th Green Flag Spankys Barn Saez L
11th Oh Brother Spankys Barn Gaffalione T
12th Operation Mongoose Maxmillion Farm Gaskin D Z
13th Electric Blue Spankys Barn Garcia Mar
14th Wimbledon Aml Racing Rodriguez Jam

Categories: BC 2025, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP