Hype realized! Mitole motors to win a Met Mile thriller
After battling near a hot pace in Saturday’s loaded edition of the Grade 1, $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap, Mitole stayed on in the stretch to win his seventh straight race and cement superstar status.
Chasing him were, after all, the fast-closing McKinzie, who struggled to find room to run throughout, and Thunder Snow, the back-to-back Dubai World Cup (G1) hero looking for his first U.S. victory.
Steve Asmussen-trained Mitole entered off a win in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) on Kentucky Derby day and stretched to his longest career distance. Asmussen, who won this race with Bee Jersey a year ago, has the sprinter to watch moving forward.
This victory also awarded connections a "Win and You're In" spot to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
"This is really a special horse," said jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., who rode Mitole to a final time of 1:32.75. "I can't explain how happy I am with this horse. He can come [from the] back, he can go in front, you can put him between horses and he always keeps trying his best."
“I never could get out, you know?" he said. "Stuck — every time I zigged, I should have zagged.”
Smith said "from the 3/8ths pole on to the wire, I never had a place to go. Too bad, because I was on much the best horse."
Mitole was away at 7-2 in the field of nine, in which six contenders entered with previous Grade 1 victories.
From the rail, Coal Front shot out to set the pace with Mitole pressing to his outside and Promises Fulfilled -- another of those Grade 1 winners -- outside of them. Fractions went in 22.17 and 44.38 with the field tightly bunched, most riders full of horse, coming off the turn.
From there Mitole was the one to catch, with Promises Fulfilled holding on to round out the superfecta.
So, does this make Mitole a miler rather than sprinter?
"We weren't looking past today," Asmussen said. "Today was our target and for this horse to put it all together that way that he has so far this year is what we will enjoy. We will enjoy this victory and go back to Churchill [Downs] for a couple of weeks and then regroup, and then go on from there."
A son of Eskendereya, Mitole is campaigned by William and Corinne Heiligbrodt. The Met Mile gave him eight wins in 11 career starts and pushed the 4-year-old's earnings past $1 million.