Maker's Mark Mile 2022: Odds, preview, pace projection, more
A trio of Grade 1 heroes leads a deep field Friday in a turf feature at Keeneland.
Smooth Like Strait (2-1) is favored on the morning line for the Grade 1, $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile. Post time from Keeneland is 5:16 p.m. EDT, with TVG broadcasting the day’s card.
The Maker’s Mile originally drew a field of 11 runners, though the Friday morning scratches of Ivar, Somelikeithotbrown, and Public Sector leave a field of eight.
Among the remaining runners, Smooth Like Strait, Count Again (5-1) and In Love (10-1) have scored at the Grade 1 level, while Set Piece (8-1), Mira Mission (20-1) and Shirl’s Speight (50-1) are also graded stakes winners.
Smooth Like Strait makes his 2022 debut Friday for trainer Michael McCarthy under jockey Umberto Rispoli. The 5-year-old has five graded victories but seeks his first outside California for owner-breeder Cannon Thoroughbreds.
In seven starts last season, Smooth Like Strait never finished out of the money while facing only Grade 1 and Grade 2 competition. The son of Midnight Lute won the Shoemaker Mile (G1) in May at Santa Anita and was a half-length shy of winner Space Blues on Nov. 6 at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Count Again also comes east from California, where he won Santa Anita’s Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) on March 5 for trainer Phil D’Amato. He returns to Keeneland for the first time since breaking his maiden on second asking in October 2019.
Paulo Lobo trains In Love, who scored his Grade 1 win going eight furlongs over Keeneland’s turf course. He upset October’s Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) at 12-1 odds and then finished seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Trainer Chad Brown is represented by Masen (5-1), who makes his North American debut. Brown took the 2021 Maker’s Mile with Raging Bull.
Keeneland will host three Grade 1 events for this division in 2022. In addition to Friday’s Maker’s Mile and October’s Keeneland Turf Mile, the Breeders’ Cup Mile will run in November over the Lexington, Ky., lawn.
Here is a look at the field for the 2022 Maker’s Mark Mile (trainer and jockey in parentheses) with morning-line odds:
1. In Love (Paulo Lobo, Alex Achard), 10-1
2. Shirl’s Speight (Roger Attfield, Luis Saez), 50-1
3. Atone (Mike Maker, Tyler Gaffalione), 12-1
4. Masen (Chad Brown, Flavien Prat), 5-1
5. Ivar, SCR
6. Smooth Like Strait (Michael McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli), 2-1
7. Count Again (Phil D’Amato, Joel Rosario), 5-1
8. Somelikeithotbrown, SCR
9. Set Piece (Brad Cox, Florent Geroux), 8-1
10. Mira Mission (Ian Wilkes, Julien Leparoux), 20-1
11. Public Sector, SCR
TimeformUS’ pace projections show Atone under jockey Tyler Gaffalione and favorite Smooth Like Strait under Rispoli going out to the early lead. Note that Timeform lacks pace data on Masen, whose six previous starts came in Ireland.
Other Friday stakes
Here is a look at the other stakes race on Friday’s Keeneland card, which can also be seen on TVG.
4:12 p.m. – $200,000 Limestone Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 5½ furlongs (turf)
Her World (2-1) started her career Aug. 7 in Monmouth Park’s Tyro Stakes rather than in a maiden race and won by six lengths. Trainer Wesley Ward has entered the Caravaggio filly in this race for her second career start off a layoff of more than eight months, tabbing jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to ride. Christophe Clement trains Derrynane (5-2), a Woodbine stakes winner making her first start since finishing fourth Nov. 5 at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Kaufymaker (6-1) was also entered for Ward, but scratched Friday morning.