Master of The Seas takes inside path to win Maker’s Mark Mile

Lexington, Ky.

For anyone from Europe, calling an audible is a term that loses something in the translation. However they say it in England, it worked quite well Friday afternoon in America, specifically at Keeneland.

That was where William Buick thought for a moment about keeping Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Master of The Seas to the outside making the turn for home in the Grade 1, $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile. Instead, he steered the odds-on favorite to the rail.

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“When you’ve got that much horse underneath you, you’re allowed to do those sort of maneuvers,” training Charlie Appleby said after Buick tucked Master of The Seas (3-5) into a 2 1/2-length win over Godolphin stablemate Naval Power (5-1). “Hindsight is always great, but I think it was the right maneuver. Master of The Seas, he loves a target. If William had managed to wheel him out, he might have got there too soon and started to just think he’d done enough.”

Racing for the first time since his November victory in the Breeders’ Cup, the 6-year-old Dubawi gelding pushed his career earnings past $2.5 million, getting over two turns on the yielding turf in 1:37.10. Never farther back than two lengths in third place, he chased early fractions of 24.38, 49.20 and 1:12.89 on a 50-degree day with 20 mph crosswind that brought the wind chill to 44.

In contrast, Master of The Seas made up 12 lengths following fractions of 22.16, 45.37 and 1:09.12 last fall on the firm going at balmy Santa Anita to beat Mawj by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup.

“That day there was a hot pace on and everything else, but he made up so much ground, and he got there in time,” Buick said. “He’s a hugely talented horse. He always has been. Great training performance by Charlie and the team. At this stage of his career, everything is just clicking for him.”

Even in the paddock before the race, when Master of The Seas looked on the muscle, Appleby did not overreact.

“There’s always a bit of concern,” he said. “You don’t like to see him too fresh. They had a long ship here from Dubai. We purposely gave him a few easy days when we arrived. Then unfortunately, weather conditions haven’t allowed us to train probably as consistently as we would normally do when we’re shipping in.”

The weather was foul until about 15 minutes before the race. The turf course absorbed 2.34 inches of rain since Tuesday, so there was no racing between last weekend and Friday’s feature.

“The only real worry we had was the ground,” Buick said. “But he’s a European-bred. He’s raced on good to yielding ground in the U.K. He’s been on that sort of ground before, which we had to take as a positive.”

Buick had no qualms about taking the rail trip in the homestretch, even if there had been no evidence this week to support the strategy. After first looking for a wide path turning for home, Buick angled inside with authority at the three-sixteenths pole.

“It was a good spot for me to go to,” he said. “I knew I had so much horse.”

Appleby also was not worried about Buick taking the untested, ground-saving trip on what was untested ground.

“Honestly, I was delighted they hadn’t had a race here,” he said. “Full credit to Keeneland. They did what was right, really. These Group 1 races they want to be run on decent ground. Unfortunately, a couple of races had to come off the turf, but hopefully, everyone was happy to see a proper Group 1 horse win on ground that was unused on the day. It definitely helped the conditions of the race.”

Racing for the second time as a gelding, 4-year-old Naval Power suffered only his second loss in eight starts after coming off a win in the Group 2 Singspiel Stakes on Feb. 23 at Meydan in Dubai. The son of Teofilo was shuffled to last in the field of six older horses before going four wide on a charge to second place, 2 1/4 lengths clear of third-place Integration (7-2).

“He didn’t get away from the gate the greatest,” jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, “but being his first start here in the States, I kind of figured that. I got into a good rhythm down the backside and just followed Master of The Seas around there. A spot opened up at the top of the lane, my horse responded and just got a run late. Definitely needs a little more distance.”

Shirl’s Speight (15-1), early pacesetter Emmanuel (8-1) and Kubrick (8-1) finished fourth through sixth in that order. Master of The Seas paid $3.54, $2.66 and $2.10; Naval Power $4.34 and $3.10; and Integration $2.98.

Appleby committed Master of The Seas to the 1 1/8-mile, $1 million Turf Classic (G1) on the May 4 Kentucky Derby undercard at Churchill Downs. He said Naval Power would be pointed the same day to the Fort Marcy (G2), a 1 1/8-mile turf race at the Belmont at Aqueduct spring meet.

In the moment Friday, it was another big day for Godolphin, a first-time winner of the Maker’s Mark Mile that began 35 years ago as the Fort Harrod Stakes.

“Having the two of them come over here and run a 1-2? That’s all you can ask for,” Godolphin USA bloodstock director Michael Banahan said. “A Breeders’ Cup winner came back and won a Grade 1 the first time out? It’s fantastic.”