The $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) is for older horses going 1 mile, 1 full lap of the main track. Arkansas Derby (G1) and Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G1) winner Omaha Beach was sent off as the even-money choice in the field of 10 over 9-2 Improbable, 4th in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), and 7-1 Mr. Money, 2nd in the Pennsylvania Derby.
Spun to Run leads down the stretch in the Dirt Mile
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent 9-1 Spun to Run to the lead through fractions of 23.05, 46.51, and 1:10.50 while pressed by 16-1 Blue Chipper and stalked by Mr. Money. Turning for home, Spun to Run opened up a 2 1/2 length lead through 7f in 1:23.31. Omaha Beach, 7th early, put in a 5 wide rally to no avail as Spun to Run cruised to a 2 3/4 length win in 1:36.58. It was another 1 1/4 length back to Blue Chipper third.
Spun to Run wins the Dirt Mile
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
3 Spun to Run Ortiz Jr. 20.20 7.00 4.80
5 Omaha Beach Smith 3.40 2.40
8 Blue Chipper Prat 6.00
Winning Time: 1:36.58
$1 Exacta 3-5 27.70
$1 Trifecta 3-5-8 488.60
$1 Superfecta 3-5-8-10 5,705.10
Left: Spun to Run in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Carlos Guerrero said, “This is a dream come true for me, this means everything to me. Everything. Since the minute we got him he’s been a special horse to us. He’s so good about everything. He’s a colt, but he’s not mean. He loves to run. He’s a dream horse. When I put the full cup blinkers on him (before the Haskell, third), the next day he galloped so perfect I thought ‘wow, this is going to be a fun road with him.’ He was a different horse after I put the blinkers on. I really expected him to go wire-to-wire today. I just wanted my rider to let him run and show how he can run. A horse who can do what he can do, you’ve just got to let him run. This means so much to me. So much. It puts me at a different level as a trainer.”
Right: The trophy presentation for the Dirt Mile. Winning owner Robert Donaldson said, "How did I select him as my trainer? I knew that he was doing well at Parx. And I know that Carlos can read a horse and really can get inside their head, and his team is really such an added plus. Jose, Jose, his exercise rider, Eli, his groom, those guys, really, and with Carlos, brought us here."
Left: Spun to Run in the post parade. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, “I just followed the instructions. He told me to break running. I broke running, then I thought I broke too hard. On the turn, I knew I was going a little too fast so I tried to slow it down, but he didn’t want to come back to me for a little while. I had to keep it together. I held it as long as I could. He was drifting out a little in the turn and I had to let him pick up it up earlier than I wanted to. He just kept going.”
Right: Spun to Run heads back to the barn after the race.
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Omaha Beach returns after the race. Trainer Richard Mandella said, "Very proud, very much so. Just had a little bad luck at the start. But, throughout this whole summer, if we didn’t have bad luck we wouldn’t have had any luck at all. You could see he didn’t get out of there running and in a good momentum. Mike (Smith) did the right thing, he let him get it together, didn’t try to rush him off his feet. And, he came on and ran a great race. The winner ran a great race also. In the Breeders’ Cup, you don’t get much second chances in these races. These are champions going in."
Right: Third place finisher Blue Chipper in the post parade. Jockey Flavien Prat said, “He ran a really good race. He broke well. We got a good early position. He was very brave to keep on going to get third. Entering the stretch, I thought I would definitely be among the first two, but he just got tired late.”
The field for the Dirt Mile breaks from the gate with both Giant Expectations (1) and Diamond Oops (9) having a bad start.
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Left: Spun to Run in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Carlos Guerrero said, “This is a dream come true for me, this means everything to me. Everything. Since the minute we got him he’s been a special horse to us. He’s so good about everything. He’s a colt, but he’s not mean. He loves to run. He’s a dream horse. When I put the full cup blinkers on him (before the Haskell, third), the next day he galloped so perfect I thought ‘wow, this is going to be a fun road with him.’ He was a different horse after I put the blinkers on. I really expected him to go wire-to-wire today. I just wanted my rider to let him run and show how he can run. A horse who can do what he can do, you’ve just got to let him run. This means so much to me. So much. It puts me at a different level as a trainer.”
Left: Spun to Run in the post parade. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, “I just followed the instructions. He told me to break running. I broke running, then I thought I broke too hard. On the turn, I knew I was going a little too fast so I tried to slow it down, but he didn’t want to come back to me for a little while. I had to keep it together. I held it as long as I could. He was drifting out a little in the turn and I had to let him pick up it up earlier than I wanted to. He just kept going.”
Left: Second place finisher and beaten favorite Omaha Beach returns after the race. Trainer Richard Mandella said, "Very proud, very much so. Just had a little bad luck at the start. But, throughout this whole summer, if we didn’t have bad luck we wouldn’t have had any luck at all. You could see he didn’t get out of there running and in a good momentum. Mike (Smith) did the right thing, he let him get it together, didn’t try to rush him off his feet. And, he came on and ran a great race. The winner ran a great race also. In the Breeders’ Cup, you don’t get much second chances in these races. These are champions going in."
