TORONTO, September 4, 2019 – Nineteen of Thoroughbred racing’s stars have been nominated to the 24th running of the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1), a Breeders’ Cup ‘Win And You’re In’ race, to be contested on Saturday, Sept. 19 over the world-renowned E.P. Taylor Turf Course.
Gary Barber’s 2019 Preakness Stakes champion War of Will headlines a quartet of Mark Casse trainees nominated to this year’s Ricoh Woodbine Mile. The four-year-old War Front colt is a career winner of more than $1.8 million, with his latest triumph in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes on July 10 at Keeneland. War of Will is expected to return to Woodbine where he opened his career with a pair of top three finishes that included a runner-up effort to the Woodbine Mile-nominated Fog of War in the 2018 edition of the Grade 1 Summer Stakes.
March to the Arch is another Casse-trained contender coming off a victory in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes last month at Woodbine. Owned and bred by Live Oak Plantation, the five-year-old Arch gelding defeated local stars Admiralty Pier and Silent Poet, who are also targeting the Woodbine Mile.
Fresh off his Grade 1 Fourstardave triumph at Saratoga two weeks ago, Halladay, a four-year-old War Front colt, could be looking to conquer new turf north of the border for trainer Todd Pletcher and Harrell Ventures.
Peter Brant’s Raging Bull is among four Chad Brown trainees eyeing the Woodbine Mile. The five-year-old millionaire son of Dark Angel finished fourth, 1-1/4 lengths behind 44-1 upset winner El Tormenta, in last year’s edition. Raging Bull picked up his second Grade 1 victory winning the Shoemaker Mile in his season’s debut on May 25 at Santa Anita.
The list of nominees includes Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing’s millionaire Beau Recall, Charles Fipke’s undefeated three-year-old colt Shirl’s Speight, and Blue Heaven Farm’s reigning Canadian Horse of the Year Starship Jubilee.
The action-packed Ricoh Woodbine Mile weekend will also feature a pair of Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series turf races for two-year-olds, with the $250,000 Summer Stakes (Grade 1) and filly companion Natalma Stakes (Grade 1) set for Sunday, Sept. 20.
The complete list of horses nominated to the 2020 Ricoh Woodbine Mile is available below in alphabetical order. All Woodbine stakes nomination lists can be found on Woodbine.com under the “Horsepeople” tab.
NOMINEES FOR THE 2020 RICOH WOODBINE MILE (GRADE 1)
Horse – Trainer – Owner
Admiralty Pier – Barbara Minshall – Hoolie Racing Stable LLC and Bruce Lunsford
Almanaar – Chad Brown – Shadwell Stable
Armistice Day – Barbara Minshall – Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins
Beau Recall – Brad Cox – Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing
Emmaus – Conor Murphy – M and J Thoroughbreds LLC and Riverside Bloodstock LLC
Empire of War – Michael Maker – Three Diamonds Farm
En Wye Cee – Todd Pletcher – Waterford Stable LLC
Fog of War – Chad Brown – Peter Brant
Halladay – Todd Pletcher – Harrell Ventures LLC
March to the Arch – Mark Casse – Live Oak Plantation
Marzo – Michael Maker – Three Diamonds Farm
Olympic Runner – Mark Casse – Gary Barber
Raging Bull – Chad Brown – Peter Brant
Shirl’s Speight – Roger Attfield – Charles Fipke
Silent Poet – Nicholas Gonzalez – Stronach Stables
Skywire – Mark Casse – Gary Barber and Lou Tucci
Starship Jubilee – Kevin Attard – Blue Heaven Farm
Value Proposition – Chad Brown – Klaravich Stables Inc.
War of Will – Mark Casse – Gary Barber
