Brown's Raging Bull, Sacred Life loom large in G1 Maker's Mark

Peter Brant’s Grade 1 winner Raging Bull (FR) tops a field of nine older runners set for Friday’s $300,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) to be run over the Keeneland turf course.

The Maker’s Mark Mile will go as the afternoon’s ninth race with post time scheduled for approximately 5:30 p.m. EDT. First post time is 1:05 p.m.

Trained by Chad Brown, Raging Bull will be making his 2021 debut after concluding last year with a 10th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). A two-time Grade 1 winner, Raging Bull finished third beaten a neck in last year’s Maker’s Mark Mile and returned in the fall to finish second in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1).

Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount and break from post eight.

Brown also will send out Sacred Life (FR) for the ownership of Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stable and Bethlehem Stables.

Fourth in the $1 million Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs last September in his most recent start, Sacred Life will be ridden by Javier Castellano and break from post four.

Invading from California and riding a four-race win streak is Hit the Road, winner of the Frank Kilroe Mile (G1) in his most recent start.

Trained by Dan Blacker for the partnership of D K Racing, Radley Equine, Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road will break from post two and be ridden by Florent Geroux, who was aboard for the Kilroe victory.