Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby will send out NAVAL POWER (GB) for the 37th Woodbine Mile, this year sponsored by Rogers, in search of their third straight win in the $1 million turf race.
Naval Power, a son of Teofilo (Ire) has won six of nine races in his career and since coming to North America in the spring has been second in two graded stakes races. The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old was recently second by a head in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May and has been pointing for the Mile, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).
William Buick will be in town to ride, Appleby and Godolphin won the last two Woodbine Miles with Master of the Seas and Moxern Games respectively.
A field of eight was drawn on Wednesday for the Rogers Woodbine Mile with Naval Power likely to be installed a heavy favourite. Canadian champion FILO DI ARIANNA (BRZ), the 2022 Turf Male and Older Male of the Year, comes into the Mile off consecutive wins in the Grade 2 Highlander and King Edward Stakes. Trainer Mark Casse has entered three horses in the Mile in total and has added three-year-old My Boy Prince and older male Win for the Money.
The 2023 Queen Anne Stakes (G1) winner BIG ROCK has also traveled over from overseas in search of a turnaround as he has been well beaten in all three races this year.
Woodbine horses PLAYMEA TUNE, a graded takes placed sprinter who has never tried grass, SECRET RESERVE, a restricted stakes winner and high-level allowance horse NIAGARA SKYLINE complete the field.
The Mile is one of six stakes on a big card of racing on Saturday including two other Win and You’re In stakes races – the Grade 1 Summer and Grade 1 Natalma.
Trainer Mark Casse is the trainer of 18 of the 30 juveniles entered in the Natalma and Summer Stakes.
The Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes worth $740,000 has a field of six including Horse of the Year Moira and Fev Rover, Group 1 winner Cinderella’s Dream and Blue Rose Cen, Full Count Felicia, Blush and Blue Rose Cen.
Post time on Saturday for the first race is 1:10 p.m.
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