Morton Fink’s homebred Wise Dan, the prohibitive 1-5 favourite, zipped to victory in track record time of 1:31.75 in Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile.

Ridden by John Velazquez, who notched his record fourth Mile, after victories aboard Riviera in 2000, Leroidesanimaux in 2005, and last year with Wise Dan, the reigning U.S. Horse of the Year tracked the tempo setters Excaper and Dimension through fractions of :23.15 and :45.44, before closing three-wide over a firm E.P. Taylor Turf Course, with three-sixteenths of a mile to run.

“I compare it to the horse I sat on, Leroidesanimaux, when he won over here, but I always said he was a freak,” said Velazquez. “This one (Wise Dan) is a much bigger freak than the other one. He’s a much better horse, always wins. Horse of the Year, you can’t change that.”

Advertisement