Godolphin homebred Notable Speech made his final tune-up ahead of his attempt to score consecutive wins in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) on Keeneland's main track Oct. 29.
The 5-year-old son of Dubawi blew out a quarter-mile on the Keeneland dirt with exercise rider Colm O'Donoghue.
"We went a bit steady yesterday on the turf, just on the outside, which was a little bit rough," said trainer Charlie Appleby. "We just wanted to make sure he used himself this morning. That's what he did and we're happy with him.
"He looked great out there," he continued. "Colm was so impressed that he said after that maybe we should have been running him on the dirt."
Notable Speech, a seven-time grade/group 1 winner, seeks to become the sixth runner to win multiple editions of Breeders' Cup Mile and the fifth to accomplish this feat in consecutive years. This year's approach is similar to last year with the Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1T) being the springboard to the World Championships. In 2025, Notable Speech won the Woodbine Mile by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:35.33 and earned a 111 Equibase Speed Figure before winning the Breeders' Cup Mile by 1 1/2 lengths over Formidable Man. This year, Notable Speech captured the Woodbine Mile by 1 1/4 lengths in 1:33.86 and earned a career-best 124 ESF.
O'Donoghue has expressed nothing but confidence all week about the 7-5 morning-line favorite in the Mile.
"He's in great shape," he said after the horse's first turn around the Keeneland track Tuesday morning. "He's danced every dance and he's a professional. He went out there solo this morning, didn't need a lead or anything. It was like his own backyard."
Finishing second to Notable Speech in this year's Woodbine Mile was Deterministic , a 5-year-old son of Liam's Map who has been the model of consistency. Deterministic's loss at Woodbine snapped a six-race winning streak that included consecutive wins in the 2025-26 Manhattan Stakes (G1T) and Fourstardave Stakes (G1T).
"He is arguably considered the best turf horse in the country; he's the best North American-based horse," said trainer Miguel Clement. "I do think he deserves to be considered the best North American horse. Last year he did not get Eclipse Award and to this day, I still don't think it's fair because he's the best North American turf horse in the country."
Since his switch from dirt to turf in June 2024, Deterministic has finished in the top three in each of his 13 starts, even one that was rained off the grass. He has won eight times on turf, including his six-race streak. Deterministic is the 8-1 co-third choice starting from the rail under regular rider Kendrick Carmouche.
"He's going to break and go forward," Clement said. "The question is to what extent he wants to go forward, but he's going forward. That's where Kendrick decides at what point you take back, or even if you take back. But my only instruction to Kendrick will be to break, go forward. He's got to decide the rest."
Deterministic, co-owned by St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker, and Federal Reserve Board chairman Kevin Warsh's Vicarage Stable, has a deep connection with the Clement family. He was on of the final graded stakes winners for Clement's father, Christophe, who died in May 2025. A few weeks after his father's death and Miguel in charge of the stable, Deterministic earned the young trainer his first grade 1 win in the Manhattan on the Belmont Stakes (G1) undercard.
"It will be a very sad day whenever I have a runner, or a horse in the barn that was no longer shared by both my father and I," Clement said. "We are far from that day from happening, but it will be inevitable one day, which is sad. He always has a sentimental attachment to many of us, both in the stables and at home. He is one of the stable favorites."
Also at 8-1 in the morning line is Rhetorical, a son of leading sire Not This Time who comes into the Breeders' Cup Mile off a 2 1/4-length win in the Oct. 3 Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland.
Rhetorical, who has more than $2.5 million in career earnings to date and is New York's 2025 Horse of the Year, is the most successful runner so far developed by trainer Will Walden, who is now in his fifth season of training. Walden said that Rhetorical has meant "just everything" for his career.
"This is the house that Rhetorical built," Walden said. "It is now and always will be. No matter how long we do this, it'll always be. He's the one that kind of kick-started and jump-started it all, and we owe everything to him."
The changeover from prospect to standout took place in October 2025 after making four of his first five career starts in state-bred company. Following his victory in the West Point Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, Walden decided to take a swing in Keeneland's Turf Mile. Walden said he had recognized his ability but did not want to rush Rhetorical.
"I wanted to try to use the conditions available to me," Walden said, "to give him good experiences and let him develop as a racehorse before throwing him in inevitably what we knew would probably be for the rest of his career, which is graded company."
While the jump into the Turf Mile seemed ambitious, Rhetorical proved Walden's instincts correct and won by three-quarters of a length. He started in last year's Breeders' Cup Mile and finished a close fourth.
Rhetorical got a break following the Breeders' Cup and started his 2026 campaign with a third in the Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland and followed with a 3 1/4-length win in the Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Churchill Downs.
At Saratoga this summer, he ran fourth in the Manhattan and the Fourstardave but was also battling a fungal infection.
"It's not uncommon, but untimely," Walden said. "It kind of destabilizes the foot so we had to put a different shoe on to stabilize it."
Back in Kentucky and with the foot problem behind him, Rhetorical led at every call to repeat in the Turf Mile and became a solid contender for the Breeders' Cup Mile. He will start from post 9 in the field of 13 under Jose Ortiz, who is replacing his brother, Irad, who will miss the Breeders' Cup with an injury.
Walden said Rhetorical is ready.
"He's doing great," he said. "It's almost like a home game for him, so we feel that helps us in a sense. We're willing to grasp onto anything else that may be an advantage going into such a difficult race like this. This is going to be a wildly competitive race, and we're just excited to be a part of it."
