The $1.25 million Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland Oct. 4 is set up to be a classic America vs. Europe showdown as three top runners travel across the pond to face nine high-quality Americans.
Whether it was the purse money or the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series offering an automatic, fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Del Mar Nov. 1 that brought them here, the trio of European runners will be a tough task for America to conquer.
Sam Sangster's Diego Velazquez leads the charge from the Aidan O'Brien team exiting his first top-level triumph in France's Prix Jacques Le Marois (G1), a breakthrough victory for the 4-year-old Frankel colt who was purchased for 2.4 million guineas (US$2,886,243) in Book 1 of the 2022 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
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Frankie Dettori will be aboard from post 4, one stall inside of Resolute Racing's French shipper Woodshauna.
The son of Wooded faces a tall task as one of just two 3-year-olds taking on older horses. However, it will not be a first for the Francis-Henri Graffard trainee as he placed third against older in the Aug. 10 Arc Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1). Prior to that, he earned group 1 honors by taking the Prix Jean Prat (G1) against fellow 3-year-olds.
Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will pilot as Woodshauna stretches out to a mile for the first time.
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The third and final European is the other 3-year-old in the field, the Andrew Balding-trained Jonquil, who breaks from the far outside. Dylan Davis takes the call on the Juddmonte homebred who won the Celebration Mile Stakes (G2) at Goodwood Racecourse in his last start Aug. 24.
American Runners Aiming to Prove Themselves
Although beating the Europeans is a tall task, the American runners are no slouches. Howard Wolowitz and Program Trading lead the credentials as grade 1 winners, but both have questions to answer.
For Gold Square's Howard Wolowitz, the question is distance. The Munnings colt has never raced beyond 7 furlongs, and that distance he only raced once way back in his career debut.
Trainer Jose D'Angelo is confident that the distance will not be a problem, citing some of his past performances in the 2024 Mahony Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T)—contested at 5 1/2 furlongs and 5 furlongs, respectively—where he fell too far behind early.
"He's a fast horse, and he's like a sprinter, but if you see his races like the (Mahony and Breeders' Cup), you can see he's struggling a little bit with the pace," D'Angelo said. "That's why I always, after his victory at Kentucky Downs last year (in the Franklin-Simpson Stakes over 6 1/2 furlongs), I wanted to stretch a little bit. I feel like the mile at Keeneland is good, he's going to be alright."
The race will also be the 4-year-old's second start off the six-month layoff he had after a trip to Saudi Arabia. He was ready to fire when beaten a half-length in the Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs Aug. 30, and perhaps would have won with a cleaner stretch run. He posted a 111 Equibase Speed Figure off the bench, tying his career high.
"I'm very happy with the first race after the layoff," D'Angelo said. "He is still improving. After the race, I gave him some time off from training. The last two workouts at Churchill Downs were amazing. He's still improving and doing better."
Meanwhile, Klaravich Stables' Program Trading just missed by a neck to reappearing rival Donegal Momentum when he returned from a nearly 15-month layoff Aug. 29 in the Bernard Baruch Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. He has never raced shorter than 1 1/16 miles in his previous eight starts, and trainer Chad Brown will task Flavien Prat with trying to get up at the shorter trip.
A few runners also appear like up-and-comers within the turf mile division if they can clinch a victory Saturday, like Welch Racing's Epic Ride.
Always a hard-trying runner who held good class routing and sprinting on the dirt, trainer John Ennis has seen a change in the 4-year-old since he was gelded this summer. His two starts since have been at a mile on grass, including an impressive front-running score in the lucrative Mint Millions Invitational Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs for his first graded win.
"Gelding him and getting him on to the turf has been huge," Ennis said. "I think the mile is the perfect trip for him. He's got speed, and he carries it. He sees the mile on the turf very well. He's just breathing different air at the minute, so I'm excited to run him."
Gary Barber, Cheyenne Stable, and Wachtel Stable's Rhetorical takes his first leap into graded company off three straight wins at 1 1/16 miles, including a 2 1/4-length win against fellow New York-breds in the West Point Stakes at Saratoga in August. Five-time champion jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. retains the mount despite having ridden Donegal Momentum and Howard Wolowitz in their last starts.
Multiple graded stakes winner Brilliant Berti, who won the Bryan Station Stakes (G3T) over the course last year; Beach Gold, third to Epic Ride in the Mint Millions; two-time graded stakes winner and grade 1-placed Mercante; and Quatrocento, who has won two consecutive allowance races in front-running fashion, round out the field.
Keeneland, Saturday, October 4, 2025, Race 10Entries: Coolmore Turf Mile S. (G1T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Donegal Momentum (KY) John R. Velazquez 126 Thomas Morley 12/1 2 2Quatrocento (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 126 Fausto Gutierrez 15/1 3 3Howard Wolowitz (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 126 Jose Francisco D'Angelo 6/1 4 4Diego Velazquez (IRE) Lanfranco Dettori 126 Aidan P. O'Brien 7/2 5 5Woodshauna (FR) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Francis - Henri Graffard 5/1 6 6Mercante (KY) Joseph D. Ramos 126 Brian Knippenberg 20/1 7 7Epic Ride (KY) Edgar Morales 126 John Ennis 20/1 8 8Program Trading (GB) Flavien Prat 126 Chad C. Brown 9/2 9 9Rhetorical (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 126 William Walden 8/1 10 10Brilliant Berti (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 126 Cherie DeVaux 8/1 11 11Beach Gold (KY) Keith J. Asmussen 126 Patrick L. Biancone 30/1 12 12Jonquil (GB) Dylan Davis 122 Andrew Balding 15/1
