The more things change…
For the third time in the last four years, Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick arrived in Toronto and Woodbine Racetrack and won the Woodbine Mile (G1), a ‘Win and You’re In’ event for the Breeders’ Cup Mile to be held at Del Mar in November.
This year, they did it even though the Mile was run on the tight inner turf course, a necessity since the E.P. Taylor grass course is under major renovation.
NOTABLE SPEECH (GB), a confirmed Group 1 runner and winner of the English 2000 Guineas in 2024 and the Sussex Stakes, both Group 1s, got back on the winning track in the Woodbine Mile, run on Saturday, September 13 on a warm afternoon. Pegged at just 2-to-5 odds by bettors, Notable Speech came into the $1 million race off an unfortunate loss in the Prix Jacques le Marois, one that Buick said was “very frustrating” and that the four-year-old colt should have won the race.
Eight rivals were entered against Notable Speech, a son of Dubawi (Ire), including last year’s winner Win for the Money from the Mark Casse barn and King Edward Stakes winner Gas Me Up, an Ontario-bred for Kevin Attard.
It was Gary Barber’s champion My Boy Prince who darted to a quick and clear lead, setting modest splits of 23.43, 46.70, and 1:11.78. The 2023 Champion two-year-old, winner of the Elusive Quality Stakes sprinting on the Aqueduct turf in May, had been fourth in the Grade 1 Fourstardave in his most recent start, a nose behind stablemate Win for the Money, who was third.
Notable Speech was sluggish out of post 2, but Buick quickly got the horse into the group and shrewdly floated three rivals, including Win for the Money, very wide on the first turn.
From there, Notable Speech settled well along the rail before moving to the two path approaching the final turn. It looked to be as much as over at that point as My Boy Prince kept chugging along with Gas Me Up challenging him, while Buick and his colt got set to pounce.
Racing on the wrong lead down the stretch, Notable Speech flew past My Boy Prince and won with ears pricked by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:35.33 over a turf course that certainly wasn’t fast and was much kinder to horses saving ground. Ontario-breds My Boy Prince, Gas Me Up and 98-to-1 shot Naptown filled in the superfecta.
(Interestingly, the day’s 12th race, won by Awesome Bourbon, went in 1:35.45, just 12/100’s off the Mile time. Awesome Bourbon, a rising star for Carlo d’Amata, won by six lengths in that $50,000 optional claiming race.)
Buick, who earlier in the day couldn’t quite get the Godolphin two-year-olds Wild Desert (Ire) and Dance to the Music (GB) up for wins in the WAYI Summer Stakes (G1) and Natalma Stakes (G1), said to At the Races, “It hasn’t been plain sailing all day, it’s a very tight track.”
He added in the post-race interview, “The normal outer turf here is beautiful, suits the European style of racing. Now we’re on the inside track and it changed the dynamics a lot,” said Buick. “Our horses find it challenging, so I was not going to give up my position on Notable Speech and he’s an experienced horse. He had to be brave for a little bit there, but once he got into that position for me he relaxed and for me, he was winning from a long way out.”
Notable Speech, who was third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile to More Than Looks and Johannes, will get another chance at that prize now. He currently has six wins in 13 races and over $2.3 million in earnings.
Wagering on Woodbine Mile day was solid at $13,026,804, just off $13,339,206 from a year ago.
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