Order of Australia leads field of 13 in Keeneland Turf Mile

Defending Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order of Australia (IRE) returns to Keeneland Saturday as the headliner in a field of 13 in the 36th running of the $750,000, Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile.

In addition to the Keeneland Turf Mile, which is a win-and-you're-in race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 6, Saturday’s 11-race program will offer two other Grade 1 tests: the 108th running of the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the main track and the 24th running of the $400,000 First Lady for fillies and mares going a mile on the turf.

The Keeneland Turf Mile will go as the 10th race Saturday with a 5:46 p.m. EDT post time. First post is 1 p.m. EDT

Owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Anne Marie O’Brien, Order of Australia posted a 73-1 upset when he prevailed by a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland last November. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Order of Australia arrived at Keeneland Tuesday afternoon after spending two days in quarantine at Churchill Downs.

Order of Australia has won one of five starts in 2021 and enters the Keeneland Turf Mile off a runner-up finish in the Prix du Moulin (G1) at Longchamp in September. John Velazquez has the mount Saturday and will exit post 10.

One of the horses chasing Order of Australia in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile was Ivar (BRZ), who will seek to become only the third horse to win the Turf Mile in consecutive years.

Trained by Paulo Lobo, Ivar finished fourth, two lengths behind Order of Australia, in the Breeders’ Cup. In Ivar’s lone 2021 start, he was sixth, beaten two lengths in the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill in May.

Joe Talamo has the mount Saturday from post position 6.