The moment has arrived, and the excitement of live horse racing returns to Keeneland for the autumn gathering of 2025, commencing on Friday, Oct. 3. A series of eight Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series races are scheduled for an outstanding Fall Stars weekend of competition in Kentucky, notably the $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes on the Saturday card.
The Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile has attracted a substantial group of 12 contenders, including five horses with earnings exceeding a million dollars, each vying for a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the coming four weeks. Donegal Momentum is positioned at the innermost post, following a victory achieved by setting the pace in the Bernard Baruch Stakes at Saratoga in August, where he recovered from an initial stumble. Quatrocento is scheduled to make his stakes race debut for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, entering the race after consecutive triumphs at the allowance-optional claiming level over a one-mile distance on the turf course at Kentucky Downs. Howard Wolowitz is set to make his second appearance since his return to racing in North America, following his participation in the Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint Presented by Boutique Group in Saudi Arabia, and is now testing distances beyond sprinting for the first occasion in his career. Diego Velazquez is identified as the morning-line favorite at odds of 7-2, following a Group 1 victory in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, France, under the guidance of trainer Aidan O’Brien. Woodshauna also enters the competition after participating in a Group 1 race at Deauville and will extend his distance to a mile for his first race on North American soil. Mercante boasts two Grade 3 victories and aims to secure his fourth career win at the one-mile distance. Epic Ride demonstrated front-running prowess in his recent start, securing a two-length victory in the $2.5 million FanDuel TV Mint Millions Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs at odds of 14.27-1 for trainer John Ennis. Program Trading has secured three Grade 1 wins and is preparing for his second start following a 14-month absence, representing the prominent owner Klaravich Stables, trainer Chad Brown, and jockey Flavien Prat. Rhetorical is set for his first start outside of New York, trained by Will Walden, and maintains a career record of four wins in five starts. Rhetorical’s only defeat was a third-place finish by a narrow margin, and Irad Ortiz Jr. continues as the jockey. The Walden and Ortiz Jr. team has demonstrated a remarkable success rate of 38% with eight wins in 21 starts. Brilliant Berti has consistently achieved Equibase Speed Figures in the triple digits in his recent seven races leading up to the Turf Mile and holds a career record of four wins in six starts at the one-mile turf distance. Beach Gold established a new course record at Ellis Park two starts prior, winning the KY Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile Stakes with a final time of 1:31.76 for trainer Patrick Biancone. Jonquil, positioned in post-position 12, is coming off a victory in the Group 2 Virgin Bet Celebration Mile Stakes at Goodwood in England and will be making his North American debut with Dylan Davis riding the Juddmonte homebred.
Assessment and Key Competitors:
Jonquil is one of two 3-year-old entrants in Saturday’s Turf Mile and will be initiating his North American journey under the care of trainer Andrew Balding. His career commenced as a seven-furlong turf sprinter, marked by a debut victory at Sandown Park in August 2024. He subsequently demonstrated his caliber by clinching a Group 3 stakes victory at Newbury following a seven-month break in his third career attempt. This performance led to a trip to France, where he extended his distance to a mile for the first time in the Group 1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas) at Longchamp in May. He delivered a commendable performance, narrowly missing the win by a head to Henri Matisse, the victor of the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Following his second-place finish at Longchamp, Jonquil reverted to sprinting but did not perform up to expectations in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot or the Group 2 HKJC World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood. However, in his most recent race, he effectively dispelled any uncertainties regarding his ability at a mile by winning the Group 2 Celebration Mile Stakes by a neck in a captivating finish. Balding’s record of shipping horses to North America is limited (only four starts in the past two years), but he has secured two victories within that small sample. Jonquil also participated in a recorded Keeneland turf workout on Sept. 30, and with morning-line odds of 15-1, he emerges as a potentially valuable selection, especially considering the one-mile turf distance.
Similar to Jonquil, Program Trading originated in England and is a son of Lope de Vega. Following his acquisition as a yearling at Tattersalls, Program Trading was relocated to the U.S., where he has participated in all eight of his career starts under the guidance of Brown and Klaravich Stables. Throughout his 3-year-old season, Program Trading exhibited nearly unbeatable form, securing victories in his initial three races, including the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes in August 2023. After finishing second in the New Kent County Virginia Derby in his fourth career start, he concluded his 3-year-old campaign with a win in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. Program Trading secured his second consecutive Grade 1 victory in the 2024 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, achieving a then-career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 110 despite a five-month layoff. His sole result outside the top three occurred in June 2024, finishing fifth in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga, trailing Measured Time, the winner, by 2 ½ lengths while posting a speed figure of 117. Subsequently, Program Trading was sidelined for over 14 months before his return in the Bernard Baruch in August, where he secured a commendable second-place finish behind fellow Coolmore Turf Mile entrant Donegal Momentum. He has consistently achieved triple-digit Equibase Speed Figures in his last six races and will now be reverting to a one-mile distance for the first time in his career. He holds the second position in both average class (113) and average speed (110) and enters this race with three Grade 1 victories on the turf. Prat, who has been aboard in each of his last seven starts, will continue to be the jockey. Over the past year, Prat has shown exceptional performance in graded stakes turf routes, achieving 23 wins in 85 attempts (27%) while finishing in the top three 62% of the time.
Diego Velazquez is ranked highest in this contest with an average class of 116 and average speed of 112. He is coming off a recent victory in the Group 1 Prix Jacques Le Marois in France, where he had odds of 17-1. This 4-year-old Frankel colt has emerged victorious in four of his most recent five starts, with all of these being group stakes races held in Europe. Trainer O’Brien will be making his inaugural appearance in North America since securing two Breeders’ Cup wins last November at Del Mar. Frankie Dettori will be the jockey on Saturday and will be seeking his first career North American victory while riding a horse trained by O’Brien. With a track record of three wins out of six career starts at the one-mile distance, coupled with a proven ability to accelerate against elite horses in Europe, Diego Velazquez appears well-positioned to leverage the Coolmore Turf Mile as a springboard toward the Breeders’ Cup.
The Remaining Entrants (with Best Equibase Speed Figure in Similar Races): Donegal Momentum (108), Quatrocento (110), Howard Wolowitz (111), Woodshauna (FR) (122), Mercante (113), Epic Ride (115), Rehtorical (103), Brilliant Berti (108), Beach Gold (116).
Preferred Order of Top Contenders:
Jonquil
Program Trading
Diego Velazquez
