Miles bringing smiles

The Woodbine Mile on Sunday at (where else?) Woodbine is one of the best races this year, befitting of both its $1-million purse and Grade 1 status.

It's refreshing to see a race attract all comers--the top local horses are taking on top horses from both the New York and California circuits as well solid internationally bred horses.

What's more, this is just a prep for the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile, which hopefully will feature the best from this race as well as a rivalry from Europe in two-time defending Mile winner Goldikova and classic winner Makfi, who defeated the reigning champion turf female last out.

Possible for this year's Mile are dual champion Gio Ponti and multiple Group 1 winner Rip Van Winkle. Both will make their next start going a mile on turf, but either (or both) could end up in the Breeders' Cup Classic. I'd rather see Gio Ponti in the Mile and Rip Van Winkle in the Classic.

Another European classic winner, Canford Cliffs, will take on Rip in the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot, and he could be a Mile contender as well.

Add in horses such as Get Serious, Get Stormy, Paco Boy, Proviso, and Sidney's Candy, and it's easy to understand why this is an exciting division.

Looking beyond the 2010 edition of the Mile, the turf mile division itself in America seems to lend itself to hearty competition more than any most divisions for older horses. The two- and three-year-old divisions for both sexes and surfaces (main track and turf) have recognizable pattern races culminating in races of obvious prestige.

That's not the case in the older divisions where the top horses seldom meet until the Breeders' Cup (this year's Whitney featuring both Blame and Quality Road was a welcome exception--and the hype surrounding that race in part underscored how rare such a matchup is).

I hate to reheat this particular skillet, but the fact that undefeated two-time champion Zenyatta and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra failed to face each other showcases a major problem of the American racing program. There is little chance that horses of such stature racing in Europe would have been able to avoid each other if they each wanted to compete a the highest levels.

The turf Mile division is a welcome aberration. Last year's Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, for instance, featured champion Ventura and Gio Ponti with the latter winning s stirring stretch drive by a nose over the marwho would go on to win the Woodbine Mile. The Woodford Reserve Turf that precedes the Kentucky Derby isn't quite a mile at nine furlongs, but it generally attracts a field befitting its grade as does the Shadwell Turf Mile.

Anything on the grass will never be a top glamor division in the United States, and that's OK. I don't write all this to suggest that the Mile winner should be held in higher esteem than the Classic winner, but perhaps it is that lack of emphasis that helps make this division so special. There's less pressure and fewer opportunities, but horsemen still want the glory and purses, and the pattern of races makes them take some shots to go after it.