By Margaret Ransom
A field of 11 is set for the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita on Monday, including last year’s Preakness (G1) winner War of Will, who hasn’t raced since a ninth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) nearly seven months ago.
The son of War Front joined stablemate March to the Arch and Chad Brown trainees Raging Bull and Without Parole, and a few others, on the Tex Sutton plane bound for California earlier this week and all will be part of a talent-filled field for Memorial Day feature.
The Shoemaker Mile is the first of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series in the United States, providing the winner with an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The challenge is an international series of stakes whose winners earn automatic berths (and fees paid) into a corresponding race for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Keeneland on Nov. 6-7.
Named for Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker, who for nearly three decades was the world’s top jockey, the race has been a mandatory spot for many of the best turf milers in the country. The legendary rider won just about every race in North America and was aboard some of the most significant horses in history, including Kentucky Derby winners Swaps, Tomy Lee, Lucky Debonair and Ferdinand, as well as Gallant Man, Silky Sullivan, Exceller, Spectacular Bid, Forego and John Henry, just to name a few. He was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1958.
True Valour – Courtesy of Benoit Photo
In 1990, Hollywood Park changed the name of the Premiere Stakes to the Shoemaker Handicap shortly after his retirement and though it underwent several slight name changes, it’s been stuck at the Shoemaker Mile since moving to Santa Anita when Hollywood Park closed in 2014. The more recognizable names to have earned a spot in the record books over the years include Exbourne, The Tin Man, Obviously and Bolo a year ago.
Now the connections of 11 older horses hope to add their names to the record books, too.
War of Will made his first four starts on the lawn as a 2-year-old without a win before being switched to the dirt by trainer Mark Casse, after which the Gary Barber-owned colt had a roller coaster sophomore season. He won the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) before suffering a slight injury in the Louisiana Derby (G2), was a victim of a swerving Maximum Security in the Kentucky Derby (G1), won the Preakness and then could only finish third in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in his four remaining races of 2019.
He was set to make his return before the coronavirus pandemic shut down almost all of racing and run at Gulfstream Park two weeks ago when Casse called the audible and decided to ship him to Santa Anita.
“War of Will’s been training exceptionally well,” Casse said. “He’s a Grade 1 winner on dirt (Preakness), so we’ll see if we can make him a Grade 1 winner on the turf.”
War of Will drew the No. 5 post will have jockey Flavien Prat, subbing for regular rider Tyler Gaffalione, aboard for the first time.
Stablemate March to the Arch isn’t as accomplished as War of Will, but he won the Sunshine Millions Turf back in January and was third in the grassy Appleton Stakes (G3) in his last start in March. He also won the Wise Dan Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs last June.
“March to the Arch has been unlucky in his last couple starts,” Casse said. “He’s a pretty good horse in his own right. He’s going to run well.”
Peter Brant’s Raging Bull, who won the Hollywood Park Derby (G1) at Del Mar back in December 2018, returns to California and also makes his first start since a fourth-place finish in the Woodbine Mile (G1) more than eight months ago. He likes this distance (6-2-2-1) so it’s a good spot for a return, and he brings regular jockey Joel Rosario out to camp in the parking lot RVs with the rest of the jockey colony for the day.
And he’s a good shipper, so he’s certainly a leading candidate. His stablemate, Without Parole, doesn’t exactly get the luck of the draw for the distance and will break from the inside under regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. The 2018 St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) winner hasn’t exactly burned up the lawn in seven starts since, including two in North America, but his third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) last November was better than it looks and a repeat performance makes him dangerous. The son of Frankel runs with Lasix here after not receiving it for his 11th-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) in his last start.
River Boyne – Courtesy of Benoit Photo
The local threat comes from Kilroe Mile (G1) winner River Boyne, who really likes both this turf course and the one-mile distance. Jeff Mullins trains the ultra-consistent son of Dandy Man for Red Barons Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal, who has only finished off the board four times in his 24 career starts. He didn’t get the best draw of the far outside, but if jockey Abel Cedillo gets out cleanly he should be able to get a mid-pack stalking position in the early going.
Neptune’s Storm is a Grade 2 turf winner with a record of 8-4-0-3 over Santa Anita’s turf and 5-3-0-1 at the distance for trainer Richard Baltas, so he’s certainly capable. The conditioner also sends out Grade 1 winner Next Shares, who won the Seabiscuit Stakes (G2) at Del Mar and was a neck back for third in the Kilroe Mile in his last start.
True Valour won the Thunder Road Stakes (G2) and City of Hope Mile (G2) last fall over this course but hasn’t had a ton of luck since. Grade 1 winner Voodoo Song makes his second start in California for trainer Richard Mandella and his connections are no doubt hoping he will improve on his sixth-place finish in the San Simeon Stakes (G3) last out, which may be aided by stretching back out to two turns from the sprint distance in his last.
Grade 3 winner Blitzkrieg returns to California after four starts in Dubai for trainer Doug O’Neill, where he picked up a second and a third in graded company. He has wins at the distance and over the turf course but seems in tough here. He will be back on Lasix for his first start back in America.
Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale has won this race three times (Labeeb, Irish Prize and Aragorn) and this year sends out Majestic Eagle, who hasn’t won in a long time – 22 months – but has been slugging it out against some tough company and graded stakes with some success since.
The Shoemaker Mile is the ninth race with a post time of 4:38 p.m. PT.
The field, by post position, with jockey, trainer, odds:
Jolie Olimpica Faces Six in Monrovia
The Monrovia Stakes (G3), which is named for the little city neighboring Arcadia where Santa Anita is located, drew eight fillies and mares, including Fox Hill Farm’s talented Brazilian import Jolie Olimpica. The 4-year-old daughter of Drosselmeyer was most recently second in the one-mile Buena Vista three months ago after winning the Las Cienegas Stakes (G3) at this grassy 5 ½-furlong distance in her North American debut in January. She cuts back to one turn for this race, but it’s not necessarily a permanent move, according to her Hall of Fame conditioner.
“She will (stretch out again), eventually,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “With all the rest she’s had, for the Monrovia I went back to how I trained her when she first came here.”
Mike Smith will be back aboard and the pair drew post position seven.
Just Grazed Me won the Ken Maddy Stakes (G3) at this distance over this course back on Breeders’ Cup Saturday and the California-bred daughter has earned several wins and placings in state-bred stakes company throughout her career. Phil D’Amato trains the daughter of Grazen, who picks up leading rider Flavien Prat, for Nick Alexander.
The Team Valor-owned, Neil Drysdale-trained Oleksandra makes her first start in more than 11 months and since winning the Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. The consistent daughter of Animal Kingdom hasn’t lost in two tries at the distance and has won two of three starts over this course. Regular jockey Joel Rosario will be aboard the filly, who does her best running down the lane despite being a one-turn specialist.
The Monrovia is the day’s fifth race with a post time of 2:34 p.m. PT. The field, in post-position order:
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California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.
After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.
She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.
In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law known as the “Borell Law.”
Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time. She lives in Pasadena with her longtime beau, Tony, two Australian Shepherds and one Golden Retriever.
