Godolphin's Master of The Seas Dominates Woodbine Mile

It looked almost like a replay from a year earlier as Master of The Seas (IRE) came charging down the stretch to win the $755,528 Woodbine Mile (G1T) Sept. 16 by 3 3/4 lengths. In 2022 it was Modern Games (IRE) toting William Buick and the blue Godolphin silks to victory at Woodbine by 5 1/4 lengths. Modern Games, now retired, went on to victory two months later in the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and all indications are that Master of The Seas will sail the same course back and forth across the Atlantic. And, if he does, the 5-year-old Dubawi (IRE) gelding is likely to again face Shirl's Speight, who not only was second to Modern Games last year at Keeneland but also second to Master of The Seas in the Woodbine Mile. With Saturday's win, Master of the Seas earned a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" spot in Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park. Master of The Seas came into the race after an impressive victory in the Summer Mile Stakes (G2) at Ascot July 15, an effort that trainer Charlie Appleby identified as the best of his career. That represented high praise and confidence in a horse who was runner-up, beaten just a nose, in the 2021 English Two Thousand Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. Things did not get off to the best of starts at Woodbine as Master of The Seas was last out of the gate and trailed all five rivals through the early going. Buick, Godolphin's top jockey for a reason, calmly allowed him to find his stride and pushed the button at the top of the late with gratifying results. Shirl's Speight edged Lucky Score for second after the two exchanged a solid bump approaching the finish line. Lucky Score was making his grade 1 debut and he was one of three horses entered by trainer Mark Casse, Master of The Seas stopped the timer at 1:33.79 on good turf. Buick said the slow start was a bit of a surprise but not concerning for him. "He usually breaks pretty fast," Buick said. "For one reason or another, he really didn't today but, look, there weren't that many runners and the pace was even throughout without being crazy and it's a big, fair track and he's a horse with a turn of foot. So it was my job to kind of navigate a trouble-free passage for him, really." Buick said Master of The Seas seems to be getting back to the form he displayed in the Guineas (G1). "He's pretty high maintenance but the boys at home have done a great job and I thought today he was much more the finished article," Buick said. "When he won at Ascot the last time, you sort of sensed he was showing his best and back to his best form. He had some real good 2-year-old form and I thought what he did there, he really showed how good he is." Appleby assistant Alex Merriam echoed his rider's sentiments about the race and added Master of The Seas, who spent parts of the past two winters running in Dubai, seems to do well on the road. "He's a horse that needs to settle in his races. They went nice even fractions all the way around and I thought he had a pretty smooth trip," Merriam said. "He's very lightly raced and he's not the most straightforward but he's come over here and done a great job. He's been very relaxed over here and he's traveled well and I think you've seen the result of that." Although not in a position to confirm any plans, Merriam obviously had the Breeders' Cup on top of mind. "He'll ship home (to England)," he said. "I think he'll ship out Wednesday and then see how he comes out of the race when we get home and I'm sure Charlie will make a call about the Breeders' Cup when the time comes." Shirl's Speight was a bit of a wild card in the race and, while well behind the winner, showed resilience after an interesting past year. The 6-year-old Speighstown horse followed his runner-up showing to Modern Games in the Breeders' Cup with a trip to Japan for the February Stakes (G1) Feb. 19, finishing ninth. With owner Charles Fipke mandating the travel, he then went to Dubai and finished a solid fourth in the Dubai Turf (G1) in March—a race in which Master of The Seas never fired, finishing 13th. "His season got messed up," said trainer Roger Attfield, who had raised questions about the travel from the start. "Then he came back and got sick and was in the clinic for a week. Then he got fat on me." Shirl's Speight rebounded from all that to finish fourth in the King Edward Stakes (G2T) Aug. 19, the local prep for the Mile. War Bomber (IRE), a 5-year-old War Front gelding, won the King Edward impressively but finished a fading fourth in the big race. Ice Chocolat (BRZ) and My Sea Cottage (IRE) completed the order of finish.