Canada’s most important turf race, the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, returns Saturday and is part of a four graded-stakes lineup that includes the Grade 1 Natalma and Summer Stakes as well as the Grade 3 Vigil.
Horseplayers at Xpressbet can take part in Saturday’s $1,000 Woodbine Mile Handicapping Contest and possibly earn your way into the field with just an $80 investment in feeder tournaments Thursday and Friday.
Let’s meet the contenders for the Woodbine Mile:
#1-Master of the Seas (Charlie Appleby / William Buick)
Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby send this 5-year-old Dubawi gelding from their Newmarket, England base as a follow-up to last year’s now-retired Woodbine Mile champ Modern Games. Four-length winner of Ascot’s Group 2 Summer Mile last out also won the Group 2 Zabeel Mile in Dubai this past winter. Nose runner-up from Classics glory in the 2021 Two Thousand Guineas. Likely to be a strong favorite on Saturday.
#2-War Bomber (Norm McKnight / Rico Walcott)
Press-and-pounce victor of the Grade 2 King Edward over this same course and trip, running down a determined Treason in the shadow of the wire. Has improved his finish in each of his four previous stakes appearances at the 2023 Woodbine meet and looks to reverse his luck from last year when a fading ninth in the Woodbine Mile to Modern Games.
#3-Shirl’s Speight (Roger Attfield / John Velazquez)
$1.3 million earner makes a third Woodbine Mile appearance after finishing fourth a year ago and seventh in 2020. Has lost 8 straight since winning Keeneland’s April 2022 Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile. It’s been since Izvestia in 1990 that Hall of Fame trainer Attfield has won this race, named the Molson Million in those days.
#4-Ice Chocolat (Mark Casse / Joel Rosario)
Rallying third in Saratoga’s Grade 1 Fourstardave most recently, he was a two-time course winner at Woodbine in allowance company in 2022. Brazlian-bred could give trainer Casse a sweep of the track’s showcase races this year after Paramount Prince won last month’s King’s Plate.
#5-My Sea Cottage (Mark Casse / Dylan Davis)
Former $35,000 claimer exits a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga, chasing 4-1/2 lengths behind Woodbine Mile rival and Casse stablemate Ice Chocolat in that one. Front-runner wired a Saratoga starter allowance on grass prior to that and can be expected to provide pace. Late supplement to the Woodbine Mile field on entry day.
#6-Lucky Score (Mark Casse / Sahin Civaci)
Son of Preakness winner Lookin at Lucky is a multiple local turf graded stakes winner, taking the Grade 2 Highlander over 6 furlongs in May. Rallied from far back to be third in his only mile attempt, his most recent start in the Grade 2 King Edward. Trainer Casse won the 2016 and 2017 Woodbine Mile editions with stars Tepin and World Approval.
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