Godolphin’s homebred Notable Speech made a triumphant return to North America by successfully defending his title in Saturday’s Woodbine Mile (G1), edging out leading U.S. miler Deterministic by just 1/14 of a length. This victory secures Notable Speech a place in the starting gate for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Keeneland on October 31, where he aims to claim back-to-back wins in the prestigious race.
Under the guidance of trainer Charlie Appleby and with William Buick aboard, the 5-year-old Dubawi colt completed the turf mile in 1:33.86, rewarding bettors with a $3.40 payout as the 3-5 favorite. Deterministic set a strong early pace with fractions of :24.36, :47.89, and 1:10.73 for six furlongs. Close behind, Gas Me Up and Silius (IRE) ran just off the leader, with longshot Pierre in fourth on the outside. Notable Speech held fifth place, while Itsastormymonday brought up the rear in sixth.
As the field entered the stretch, Deterministic maintained a lead of a few lengths, but Notable Speech was charging on the outside, distancing himself from the rest. Within the final sixteenth of a mile, Notable Speech demonstrated his superior quality by surging ahead to claim victory. Deterministic finished clear in second, followed by Gas Me Up in third, with Itsastormymonday, Pierre, and Silius rounding out the top six.
Bred in Great Britain, Notable Speech is out of the Invincible Spirit mare Swift Rose. Across 19 starts, he has amassed 10 wins, along with one second and one third, earning a total of $4,428,249. Should he race at Keeneland for the Breeders’ Cup, he will seek to become only the second horse to win the Woodbine Mile and Breeders’ Cup Mile in consecutive years, a feat previously achieved by Wise Dan in 2012 and 2013.
This win also marks the fourth success in five years for the Godolphin, Buick, and Appleby team in the Woodbine Mile, with previous wins by Modern Games (IRE) in 2022 and Master of the Seas (IRE) in 2023. Each of these victories was followed by a Breeders’ Cup Mile win in the same year. Earlier in the day, Buick also rode Godolphin homebred and Appleby-trained Al Hudaiba (GB) to victory in the Summer Stakes (GI), another “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup qualifying race.
Fan Take: Notable Speech’s commanding defense of his Woodbine Mile crown underscores the dominance of the Godolphin-Appleby-Buick partnership and sets the stage for an exciting Breeders’ Cup Mile showdown. For fans and the sport, it highlights the thrilling potential of repeat champions and the growing global influence shaping top-level turf racing.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
