Report: Stronghold will race in Dirt Mile at Breeders’ Cup

The morning after finishing second to Seize the Grey in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby, 3-year-old Stronghold reportedly was aimed toward the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

“If he comes out of it well, we’re going to run him in the Dirt Mile,” trainer Phil D’Amato told Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free.

Penn Derby: Seize the Grey leads at every call to win.

Saturday marked the second race in a row where Stronghold finished second. He also came up short in the Indiana Derby (G3), where he lost to Dragoon Guard. Both races were run at a pedestrian pace, which did not work well for the speed-rating Ghostzapper colt in his bids to overcome the early leaders. D’Amato hopes for a quicker pace in the Dirt Mile.

Stronghold’s biggest and most recent win was in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). His record is 9: 3-5-0, including four runner-up finishes in graded stakes. The $182,000 in second-place money he earned Saturday pushed his earnings to $1,068,000 for breeder-owners Eric and Sharon Waller.

The only time Stronghold raced exactly a mile, he broke his maiden in October at Churchill Downs.