Morton Fink’s homebred Horse of the Year Wise Dan will launch a title defense Nov. 2 in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT), a race he won in record-setting style last season to cap a campaign that brought him additional Eclipse Awards as champion turf horse and outstanding older male.
But the 6-year-old Wiseman’s Ferry gelding must rebound from his only loss of 2013, an off-the-turf edition of the Oct. 5 Shadwell Turf Mile (gr. I), in which he finished second to Silver Max by 1 1/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles on the Polytrack at Keeneland. And in this year’s edition of the Mile at Santa Anita Park, Wise Dan will meet Silver Max again—along with other foes he’s faced before, a handful of newcomers, and a pair of European invaders rounding out the field of 10.
Wise Dan’s record for trainer Charlie LoPresti was otherwise sterling this season, justifying his status as the even-money favorite on the Mile morning line. He repeated his 2012 victory in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Can-IT) in record time at Woodbine, notched a second score in the Fourstardave (gr. IIT) at Saratoga Race Course, won the Firecracker Handicap (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs, and put together back-to-back grade I victories in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT) at Churchill and the Maker’s 46 Mile Stakes (gr. IT) at Keeneland. The streak snapped with his Shadwell loss came after nine straight wins, six of them grade I events.
The three-time Eclipse Award winner will break from post 8 with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the irons. Last year, he won from post 2 in a track-record 1:31.78 for the mile.
“That’s good, I’m really happy and fine with that,” LoPresti said of this year’s post position. “All the speed is to the inside of me.”