September 14, 2024
TORONTO — By Ellis Starr
The Grade 1, $1 million Rogers Woodbine Mile offers the winning horse an automatic entry into the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF on Nov. 2. This year’s Woodbine feature drew a field of eight.
Leading the field is Big Rock, with $1.7 million in career earnings, who was victorious in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in October 2023 at Ascot in Great Britain. Filo Di Arianna is perfect in five races on the Woodbine turf course, including the Grade 2 bet365 King Edward Stakes in August.
Trainer Charles Appleby, who has saddled the winner of this race the past two years, starts Naval Power this year off a head defeat in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes when last seen in May. My Boy Prince was second in the $1 million King’s Plate Stakes Aug. 23 and attempts to transfer that form to turf, while Win for the Money hopes to improve off a runner-up effort in the KY Downs Preview Mint MIllions Turf Mile Stakes in August.
Playmea Tune stretches out to a mile and moves to turf for the first time but ran extremely well when beaten by a neck in the Grade 3 Bold Venture Stakes a few weeks ago. Secret Reserve won the Steady Growth Stakes last December but is winless in five races this year. Niagara Skyline has managed to win a quarter-million dollars without ever winning a stakes race but did win his most recent start on the Woodbine turf in July.
Read about the main contenders in this race on America’s Best Racing