Mile

POST: 11:35 A.M. Third of eight-race Breeders’ Cup card at Santa Anita.

CONDITIONS: For 3-year-olds and up.

SURFACE: TURF.

PURSE: $1.5 MILLION. First place: $780,000. Second place: $300,000. Third place: $180,000. Fourth place: $85,500. Fifth place: $45,000.

THE FIELD

*--* Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer Owner Odds 1 PEACE RULES Edgar Prado 122 Bobby Frankel Edmund Gann 6-1 2 SARAFAN Scratched 3 Designed/Luck Pat 126 Vladimir Cerin David & Holly 6-1 Valenzuela Wilson 4 SOARING FREE John 126 Mark Frostad Sam-Son Farms 20-1 Velasquez 5 Refuse Bend Pat Smullen 122 Dermot Weld Moyglare Stud 15-1 Farm 6 SPECIAL RING David Flores 126 Julio Canani Prestonwood Farm 4-1 7 Jose 126 Joan Scott Equirace.Com 30-1 FREEFOURINTERN Espinoza Stable ET 8 CENTURY CITY Jose 126 Beau Greely Kitchwa Stables 20-1 Valdivia 9 Touch Blues Kent 126 Neil Drysdale Gainsborough Farm 20-1 Desormeaux 10 OASIS DREAM Richard 122 John Gosden Juddmonte Farms 5-1 Hughes 11 IRISH Alex Solis 126 Wally Dollase John Coleman 20-1 WARRIOR 12 DECARCHY Mike Smith 126 Doug O’Neill Magali Farms 20-1 13 SIX Jerry Bailey 119 Pascal Bary Flaxman Holdings 6-1 PERFECTIONS 14 PERFECT SOUL Jose Santos 126 Roger Attfield Charles Fipke 15-1

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Note: Horses listed by saddlecloth number (No.) in first column.

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HOW TIMES HANDICAPPER BOB MIESZERSKI SEES THE MILE UNFOLDING

START

Taken well off the pace in the Oak Tree Breeders’ Cup Mile three weeks ago, SPECIAL RING won’t be waiting for anyone today. The 6-year-old will take the lead and dare everybody to catch him as trainer Julio Canani tries to win the Mile for the third time in five years. DESIGNED FOR LUCK, English sprinter OASIS DREAM, PEACE RULES and the Canadian-bred SOARING FREE should be his closest pursuers.

AT THE HALF-MILE POLE

A much more relaxed animal since being gelded by Canani, SPECIAL RING should be in control with the same group closest to him and the back runners biding their time, with some hoping room develops along the inside and others destined to be wide over the narrow course. It will be interesting to see how the Europeans settle, especially OASIS DREAM, who has never gone beyond six furlongs in his native country. Californians who remember the success trainer John Gosden had here many years ago are expecting a big effort for the 3-year-old, but the question with him is, how will he handle the turns?

AT THE QUARTER POLE

No doubt David Flores, having tried to slow things down as much as possible, will try to kick away from the field; SPECIAL RING showed in the Eddie Read Handicap this summer at Del Mar how fast he can come home. He covered the final eighth of a mile in 11 2/5 seconds that day. SIX PERFECTIONS, the talented 3-year-old French filly, should begin to make her presence known and if anyone can work out a good trip from a bad post -- the 13 hole -- it is Jerry Bailey. DESIGNED FOR LUCK, who seldom runs a bad one, won’t easily give way while the closers will be underway.

FINISH

SIX PERFECTIONS, no worse than second in nine career starts, can beat the boys and give trainer Pascal Bary a repeat in the race. He won it last year with longshot DOMEDRIVER, a horse SIX PERFECTIONS beat by a neck in a Group I race in France in August. SPECIAL RING, who has been pointed for this race all year, can outfinish those who were in front of him in the recent Oak Tree Mile. There are a whole slew of candidates to complete the trifecta and superfecta. Those who like SIX PERFECTIONS and are playing exotics will be using the “all” box for the third and fourth spots.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

The First Four

1. SIX PERFECTIONS 2. SPECIAL RING 3. DESIGNED FOR LUCK 4. PEACE RULES

The Rest

5. Refuse To Bend 6. Oasis Dream 7. Irish Warrior 8. Touch Of The Blues

9. Century City 10. Soaring Free 11. Freefourinternet 12. Decarchy

13. Perfect Soul (Sarafan scratched)

MILE WINNERS

*--* Year Track Horse Jockey Win Margin $2 Payoff 1984 Hollywood ROYAL Fernando Toro 1 1/2 lengths $5.40* Park HEROINE 1985 Aqueduct COZZENE Walter Guerra 2 1/4 lengths $9.20 1986 Santa Anita LAST TYCOON Yves 1/2 length $73.80 Saint-Martin 1987 Hollywood MIESQUE Freddie Head 3 1/2 lengths $9.20 Park 1988 Churchill MIESQUE Freddie Head 4 lengths $6.00 Downs 1989 Gulfstream STEINLEN Jose Santos 3/4 length $5.60 Park 1990 Belmont ROYAL Lester Piggot Neck $7.60* Park ACADEMY 1991 Churchill OPENING Patrick 1 1/4 lengths $55.40 Downs VERSE Valenzuela 1992 Gulfstream LURE Mike Smith 3 lengths $12.80 Park 1993 Santa Anita LURE Mike Smith 2 1/4 lengths $4.60* 1994 Churchill BARATHEA Frankie 3 lengths $22.80 Downs Dettori 1995 Belmont RIDGEWOOD Johnny Murtagh 2 lengths $7.10* Park PEARL 1996 Woodbine DA HOSS Gary Stevens 1 1/2 lengths $18.90 1997 Hollywood SPINNING Cash Asmussen 2 lengths $6.20* Park WORLD 1998 Churchill DA HOSS John Velazquez Head $25.20 Downs 1999 Gulfstream SILIC Corey Nakatani Neck $16.40 Park 2000 Churchill WAR CHANT Gary Stevens Neck $9.00* Downs 2001 Belmont VAL ROYAL Jose Valdivia 1 3/4 lengths $12.20 Park Jr. 2002 Arlington DOMEDRIVER Thierry 3/4 length $54.00 Park Thulliez

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* As favorite

THROUGH THE YEARS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM EACH BREEDERS’ CUP

* 1988 at Churchill Downs: On a rainy day in Louisville, Miesque made it consecutive victories in the Mile, and Easy Goer suffered the first of his two upset losses at the track in six months when he was beaten by 9-1 outsider Is It True in the Juvenile. Personal Ensign went out in style -- and undefeated -- with a dramatic nose victory over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors in the Distaff. In a Classic run in darkness, Alysheba, the horse of the year, surpassed John Henry to become the richest thoroughbred in history, beating Seeking the Gold by half a length.

* 1989 at Gulfstream Park: In what remains the most memorable Classic, it was East (Easy Goer) against West (Sunday Silence) for the fourth and final time. Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Sunday Silence got the best of Belmont hero Easy Goer again, beating the 1-2 favorite by a neck under Chris McCarron, who had replaced a suspended Patrick Valenzuela. A race earlier, Prized, who had never before run on turf, won the Turf at 8-1 under a masterful ride by jockey Eddie Delahoussaye.