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Jockey William Buick celebrates aboard Modern Games after the Mile.

World Championships
FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Results

Date: 11/5/2022

Saturday Results Summary (dirt)  -  Saturday Results Summary (turf)  -  F&M Sprint -  Turf Sprint -  Dirt Mile -  F&M Turf -  Sprint -  Mile -  Distaff -  Turf -  Classic
Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

The $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) presented by PDJF featured a full field of 14 older horses. Last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1 winner Modern Games was sent off as the 7-5 favorite off his second place finish in the Queen Elizabeth II (G1) at Ascot after winning the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1). In to challenge him included 11-2 second choice Annapolis, winner of the Saranac Stakes (G3) and Coolmore Turf Mile (G1), and 9-1 third choice Kinross, winner of 4 straight including the Prix de la Foret (G1) and British Champions Sprint (G1).

Down the stretch in the Mile with Modern Games closing in the center.

Jockey John Velazquez sent 29-1 Smooth Like Strait to the lead first time by through fractions of 23.00, 46.81, and 1:10.96 while pressed by 36-1 Pogo and stalked by 54-1 Beyond Brilliant. Entering the stretch Smooth Like Strait tired allowing Pogo to briefly inherit the front through 7f in 1:22.56 before also weakening. Modern Games, 8th early under William Buick, closed with a rush down the center of the course to win by 3/4 length over 56-1 Shirl's Speight in 1:33.96. It was a nose back to late-running Kinross third.

Modern Games wins the Mile
Pgm  Horse              Jockey            Win   Place  Show
 4   Modern Games        Buick             4.76   3.94  3.04
 2   Shirl's Speight     Saez                    33.28 17.36
13   Kinross             Dettori                        7.28
 
Winning Time:  1:33.96

$1 Exacta 4-2                         89.46
$2 Trifecta 4-2-13                 4,507.20
$1 Superfecta 4-2-13-6             5,283.30
Results chart

Left: Modern Games in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Charlie Appleby said, "He has so many attributes to himself -- his size, he's neat, he's nimble. That's why I think he's always thrived on these tracks here. Wherever he is, he's small enough to get through the gaps and he's neat enough to get around those turns. You're always confident wherever he is in the field. When they come off the turn he put himself into a position where he'll be able to attack. He went to the French Guineas and was very impressive there. He then backed up -- we stepped him up and tripped him in the 1 1/4 in the French Derby. Because he runs so honestly, he ran a hell of a race there, finished in third and didn't really stay. That was probably my mistake really. I dropped him back to the 7 there. I hold my hands up. We shouldn't have done that."

Right: The trophy presentation for the Mile. Winning jockey William Buick said, "He just jumped a little bit slow, and obviously the horses from outside came in and I found myself in a pretty bad spot. But he managed to regather his stride and turn it into the first turn halfway around there. I thought we were following the right horses and we were not too far, too bad. Look, once I got him to the outside and I got him running, he picked up so well. And I always knew he was going to keep going all the way to the line. From where I was, and on the horse I was, the opportunities that sort of presented themselves for me at the time, I didn't need to do anything too brave or drastic. It was all about trying to get him into clear sailing and just giving him every chance."

Left: Modern Games in the paddock. Buick added, "He's a great horse. He was a great 2-year-old. Obviously won the Juvenile Turf in Del Mar. And he's a French 2000 Guineas winner. He's ran over various distances. Today, I think he will finally get the recognition he probably deserves."

Right Modern Games heads back to the barn after the race. Appleby added, "I think obviously we look at some of the mile events in the spring there back in the UK. The Queen Anne would be the sort of obvious target to work back from Royal Ascot. And I'd like to think he'll be back over here. And he's getting fanfare around the world. But it's great to see him get the applaud today on what unfortunately he didn't receive 12 months ago, not to his fault, no fault of his own. I'd like to bring him back out here again and let the American crowd enjoy him."

Left: Second place finisher Shirl's Speight heads back to the barn after the race. Jockey Luis Saez said, "He tried pretty hard, but there were so many horses. I wasn't in the clear when I wanted to be. Was having a good trip, and saved ground, but when I got to the top of the stretch I couldn't get in the clear."

Right: Third place finisher Kinross in the paddock. Trainer Ralph Beckett said, "Huge run. To get on the fence from 13 and then come from there and then go inside and then out… marvelous run. I'm hugely proud of the horse. The fact that he performed as he did at 6f and 7f and now a mile – they don't come along very often. He galloped out past the winner, maybe he could have (won), but that's all ‘ifs and maybes'."


The horses break from the gate for the Mile. Javier Castellano aboard fourth place finisher Ivar (6) said, "I really like the way he did it. He was in a beautiful spot behind the other horses. He was surrounded by horses and it covered us from the wind. He traveled beautifully every step of the way. I like the way he finished. All the horses spread and horses were getting tired so I went through my hole that I was looking for and he responded. He tried really hard, but unfortunately the European horses are really good quality. He just got beat by a length. We're really happy with it."

Saturday Results Summary (dirt)  -  Saturday Results Summary (turf)  -  F&M Sprint -  Turf Sprint -  Dirt Mile -  F&M Turf -  Sprint -  Mile -  Distaff -  Turf -  Classic
Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

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