The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) was run for the first time in 2007 at Monmouth Park in the first year the event expanded to two days of championship races.
This year marks the event’s 20th renewal, and it goes off as Saturday's sixth race at Keeneland.
The first Dirt Mile at the Breeders' Cup was actually run at about a mile and 70 yards because of the configuration of Monmouth’s main track -- and the track rarely offers 1-mile races.
At Keeneland, the track doesn’t regularly run one-mile races so in 2015, 2020 and 2022 the start of the race as well as the finish were both backed up to keep the race distance as close to a mile as possible. On Saturday, the starting gate will be positioned 70 yards in front of the standard 1-mile pole, and the finish is set at the alternate finish line near the sixteenth-mile pole, making the running distance slightly longer than a flat mile.
Goldencents in 2012 and 2013 and Cody's Wish in 2022 and 2023 are the repeat winners, with Cody's Wish voted 2023 Horse of the Year and champion older male.
2007 – Corinthian. Jockey Kent Desormeaux stalked the pace on a sloppy Monmouth track before exploding clear to win by a record 6 ½ lengths in the inaugural edition at odds of 3-1. The massive blowout set the tone for the race's explosive potential, with Corinthian's burst on off-going showing pure dominance in the mud.
2011 – Caleb's Posse. From eighth place early, the 20-1 shot unleashed a ferocious rally to win by four lengths at Churchill Downs, outkicking Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Shackleford. A gritty closer, the Posse colt started last in a stacked field and swallowed rivals in a stretch run in a classic rags-to-riches gritty performance.
2016 – Tamarkuz. The 9-1 UAE import surged from 9 ½ lengths back to win by 3 ½ lengths at Santa Anita, holding off future Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winners Gun Runner (2017) and Accelerate (2018) and champion Runhappy in one of the deepest fields ever.
2020 – Knicks Go. The handsome gray set crazy fast fractions (:21.98, :44.40, 1:08.25), shook off all challengers and powered home by 3 ½ lengths in a blistering 1:33.85 at Keeneland.
2023 – Cody's Wish. In a nose thriller at Santa Anita, the 2-1 favorite re-rallied after bumping pacesetter and classic winner National Treasure, snatching victory by a whisker to defend his title. This repeat win clinched Horse of the Year honors and was the fairy-tale cap to owner Godolphin's tribute to the young Cody Dorman, who the colt was named after and who passed away soon after.
2025 – Nysos. Baoma Corp.’s colt, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, wore down stablemate Citizen Bull in a thrilling stretch duel to win by a head in 1:34.71 at Del Mar. Nysos received a ground-saving trip through early fractions of :21.74 and :44.96 before closing the gap and prevailing in the final yards. It was Baffert’s first Dirt Mile win.
The Dirt Mile often favors horses with tactical speed or front-running ability, as evidenced by winning times ranging from a track-record 1:33.41 (Albertus Maximus, 2008) to 1:39.06 (Corinthian, 2007, the inaugural running at a slightly longer distancer due to venue constraints).
Recent renewals have trended faster, with sub-1:34 times in high-profile wins like Knicks Go (2020, 1:33.85) and City of Light (2018, 1:33.83), suggesting pace scenarios that reward early speed on fast tracks.
Standout pace performances include Life Is Good's wire-to-wire dominance in 2021, setting blistering fractions before pulling away, and Knicks Go's front-running track record in 2020.
Closers have succeeded in contested paces, like Cody's Wish stalking and pouncing in 2022 and 2023.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
