Breeders’ Cup Mile

In the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), good things have come in twos. Four Breeders’ Cup races have had repeat winners, and the Breeders’ Cup Mile has had three horses who have posted two victories each.

Miesque, bred by owner Stavros Niarchos’s Flaxman Holdings Ltd., sparkled in the Mile on turf at Hollywood Park in 1987 and conquered a significantly slower surface at Churchill Downs the following year. The remarkable Francois Boutin-trained filly won by 3 1/2 lengths in California and by four lengths in Kentucky-the largest winning margins in the race’s history. On the strength of her single North American victories, Miesque was voted champion grass female in 1987 and ‘88. The Niarchos family also campaigned Mile winners Spinning World (1997), Domedriver (Ire) (2002), and Six Perfections (Fr) (‘03) in the name of Flaxman Holdings.

Claiborne Farm’s homebred Lure, arguably one of the most accomplished horses never to win an end-of-year championship, also scored two daylight victories, winning by three lengths at Gulfstream Park in 1992 and by 2 1/4 lengths the following year at Santa Anita Park for trainer Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey III.

Although not necessarily possessing talent to equal Miesque or Lure, Da Hoss became a two-time Mile winner by virtue of his courage and the innovative training regimen of Michael Dickinson. In 1996, Dickinson had his assistant, Joan Wakefield, test the Woodbine turf course in high heels to determine the best path for the Gone West gelding, who won by 1 1/2 lengths. Da Hoss missed the entire following season due to injury and came back to run in the 1998 Mile with only one start in two years. He rallied on a firm Churchill turf course to overtake Hawksley Hill (Ire) and win by a head.

European-based horses have had consistent success in the Mile. Nine of the first 22 winners were based with European trainers prior to their wins.

Most remarkable about the Mile has been the domination of the Northern Dancer sire line. Although the great Windfields Farm stallion did not sire a winner himself, six of his sons and three of his grandsons have sired winners, accounting for 13 victories in the first 22 years. His sons Danzig and Nureyev have each sired three winners.

The interests of the late Niarchos have had unprecedented success in the Mile. Following the victories of Miesque, the Niarchos family’s Spinning World won in 1997, and the family recorded back-to-back victories in 2002 and ‘03, with Domedriver (Ire) and Six Perfections (Fr), respectively.