Purse:	$2,000,000	Grade:	1
Distance:	1 Mile	Age:	3+

Oscar Performance Looks for Second Cup Win in Breeders' Cup Mile

In the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile, run on the turf, Amerman Racing's homebred OSCAR PERFORMANCE will be running in his third consecutive Breeders' Cup race. The 4-year-old son of Kitten's Joy won the 2016 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita for trainer Brian Lynch and ran ninth in last year's Turf at Del Mar but has thrived with a cutback in distance this year.

Oscar Performance, who is 8-for-14 lifetime, was sharp in winning Belmont's Poker (G3) in June and earned an automatic starting berth into the Mile when he won the "Win and You're In" Ricoh Woodbine Mile (GI) Sept. 15. Two other Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifiers from the U.S. are Michael House's HUNT (IRE), who won the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita and Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan and partners' NEXT SHARES, a recent 3 ¼-length winner of the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 6.

The top European challengers come from Lael Stable's 4-year-old filly ONE MASTER (GB), who comes in off a win in the Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1) at Longchamp for trainer William Haggas, and HAPPILY (IRE), trained by Aidan O'Brien, who was second by a head in the one-mile Sun Chariot Stakes (G1) at Newmaket on Oct. 6. Qatar Racing's 7-year-old LIGHTNING SPEAR (GB) earned a free berth into the Mile when he captured the Qatar Sussex (GI) at Glorious Goodwood in August for trainer David Simcock, but was seventh in last Saturday's Queen Elizabeth at Ascot.

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Recent Breeders' Cup Mile Winners

What is the Breeders' Cup Mile?

The Breeders' Cup Mile (Grade 1) has created an interesting pattern of sorts in that, for this $2 million series on turf of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, good things have come in two's. Four Mile events of the Breeders' Cup races have had repeat winners. Also, the Mile has had three horses who have posted two victories each.

Miesque, bred by owner Stavros Niarchos' Flaxman Holdings Ltd., sparkled in the Breeders' Cup Mile in 1987 at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, and conquered a significantly slower surface at Churchill Downs in Louisville the following year. Trained by Francois Boutin, the remarkable filly won by 3-1/2 lengths in California and by 4 lengths in Kentucky - the largest winning margins in the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships race's history.

On the strength of her single North American victories, Miesque was voted champion grass female in 1987 and 1988. The Niarchos family also campaigned Mile winners Spinning World (1997), Domedriver (Ireland; 2002), and Six Perfections (France; 2003) in the name of Flaxman Holdings, Ltd.

In 2003, 5-1 shot Six Perfections, a 3 year old filly taking on boys, stayed in between horses back in eighth early, then came on strong down the stretch splitting rivals to win by 3/4 length over 12-1 shot Touch of the Blues. The time for the mile distance on the firm turf course was 1:33 4/5. It was a neck back to 39-1 longshot Century City. 3-1 favorite Peace Rules set the early pace but had nothing left turning for home, fading badly and finishing last.

At the 2004 Breeders' Cup Mile, Singletary emerged as the champion at 16.50 odds with jockey David Romero Flores. Antonius Pius with jockey Jamie Spencer won second at 31.40 odds while France's Six Perfections with jockey Jerry Bailey placed third at 5.90 odds.

Goldikova, based in France, won the Breeders’ Cup Mile back to back in 2008 and 2009with jockey Olivier Peslier. In her second win in 2009 she was second last for much of the race and at the top of the stretch she was forced to go 5 wide. It looked like she was going to lose, but then she changed leads again and blasted past Coragious Cat to win in 1:32.26, 0.8 seconds off of the world record held by Mr. Light.

Claiborne Farm's homebred Lure, arguably one of the most accomplished horses never to win a year-end championship, also scored two daylight victories, winning by 3 lengths in the 1992 Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park, and by 2 ¼ lengths in the following year at Santa Anita Park for trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey III.

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While not necessarily possessing talent to equal Miesque's or Lure's, Da Hoss became a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner by virtue of his courage and the innovative training regimen of Michael Dickinson. In 1996, Dickinson had his assistant, Joan Wakefield, test the Woodbine turf course in high heels to determine the best path for the Gone West gelding, who won by 1 1/2 lengths.

Da Hoss missed the entire following season of the Breeders' Cup races due to injury and came back to run in the 1998 Breeders' Cup Mile with only one start in two years. He rallied on a firm Churchill Downs turf course to overtake Hawksley Hill (Ireland) and win the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships Mile race by a head.

Also experiencing consistent success in the Breeders' Cup Mile are the European-based horses. Nine of the Mile's first 20 winners had been based with European trainers prior to their wins.

Most remarkably, the Breeders' Cup Mile has also seen the domination of the Northern Dancer sire line. Although the great Windfields Farm stallion did not sire a winner himself, six of his sons and two of his grandsons have sired winners, accounting for 12 victories in the Mile's first 20 years. His sons Danzig and Nureyev have each sired three winners.

2024 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE