Breeders' Cup Mile Picks 2017: Mile Entries And Odds

Mile Entries and Odds

Over the past 10 years the Mile has seen a pair of repeat winners take the race at low odds, including Goldikova, who won three times, and Wise Dan, who won twice. Of the five other races, the average price on the winner has been 25-1, including 65-1 Court Vision in 2010. 

The top North American hope in the race is World Approval, a five-year-old Florida-bred for trainer Mark Casse. He comes in having won four of his five starts in 2017, and seems to have found a real niche as a miler, with his last two wins at the distance, both in Grade 1 races.

The most recent of those was most impressive, as he took on a world-class field in the Woodbine Mile and stalked in behind a quick early pace before taking over just after the halfway point to go on and win by 2 1/2 lengths. A repeat of that performance will make him very tough to beat here.

Irish Contender Has Impressive Record

He'll be taking on one of the top grass horses in Europe in the form of Ribchester, who has finished in the money in 14 of his 15 lifetime starts, with four Group 1 wins in that span. He's run second in two of his last three starts, both of those at a mile, but both of those were run over soft turf and he'll probably take to the firm ground he can expect at Del Mar on Saturday. He's won in the UK and France, but this will be his first start on US soil. 

The only filly in the field is Roly Poly who comes into the race in good form having won three of her last four, her only defeat in that stretch on a yeilding surface that was probably not to her liking. She was very impressive last out in a Group 1 event at Newmarket, where she led from the gate and then dug in late and would not give up the lead to another filly named Persuasive, who came back to beat Ribchester in her next start.

The concern for her is that this will be the first time taking on older male horses, and in her one previous US start she finished ninth in the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. 

A solid contender for the bottom of the ticket is Suedois, a six-year-old French-bred who has been competitive in Group company across the pond, but doesn't have a lot of wins. He came over to North America last month, however, and won his first US start in the (G1) Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland, where he raced in mid-pack until mid-stretch and then moved out for a charge to the wire, getting up in time to win by a short half-length.

Also for consideration for the bottom of the ticket is Heart To Heart, and Ontario-bred who looked a winner in the Shadwell until Suedois caught him in the final strides. While perhaps just a notch below the best here, he has been in the money in his last five graded-stakes tries, with two wins, and has nine graded-stakes wins on his lifetime resume. 

The Breeders' Cup Mile goes Saturday, November 4 from Del Mar race track in Del Mar, California. It's race #6 of 9 on the day's Breeders' Cup schedule, with a post time of 6:19 PM Eastern. 

Entries w/ Odds from Bovada

1. Midnight Storm (25-1)
2. Heart To Heart (20-1)
3. Mr. Roary (66-1)
4. Lancaster Bomber (11-1)
5. World Approval (3-1)
6. Zalzel (10-1)
7. Om (25-1)
8. Suedois (10-1)
9. Home Of The Brave (20-1)
10. Ribchester (3-1)
11. Ballagh Rocks (33-1)
12. Roly Poly (6-1) 
13. Blackjackcat (33-1)
14. Karar (20-1)

Mile Picks

• #5 - World Approval
• #10 - Ribchester
• #12 - Roly Poly
• #8 - Suedois

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Category : Betting Picks

Tag : Bovada , Breeders Cup , Horse Racing