The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, sponsored again this year by Big Ass Fans, was run for the first time in 2007 at Monmouth Park in the first year the world championships event expanded beyond the single day of racing.
Knicks Go – Photo Courtesy of Coady Photography
From Monmouth to Del Mar: Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Distance Changes
Initially because of the configuration of Monmouth’s main track and the fact the track doesn’t regularly offer races at a flat mile, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile was actually contested at about a mile and 70 yards. And in the 2015, 2020 and 2022 runnings, because the facility doesn’t regularly offer races at a mile the start of the race, as well as the finish of the race, were both backed up to keep the race distance as close to a mile as possible. The starting gate was placed 70 yards before the one-mile pole and the finish was set at the alternate finish line at the sixteenth pole making the race slightly longer than a mile.
This year thanks to Del Mar’s one-mile main track, the field will break from the gate at the finish line and return to the finish line.
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile Eclipse Award Winners: Cody’s Wish and Knicks Go
Last year’ Cody’s Wish joined Goldencents (2012 and 2013) as the only two repeat winners of the race. And last year Cody’s Wish became the first Dirt Mile winner to win an Eclipse Award in the same year as his Breeders’ Cup win when he was honored as the nation’s top older runner and Horse of the Year. Knicks Go was 2021’s Horse of the Year and won the Dirt Mile in 2020.
The race was ungraded in 2007 and 2008 and was elevated to grade 1 status by 2009. Hall of Famers Bill Mott (Cody’s Wish, 2022 and 2023), Jerry Hollendorfer (Dakota Phone, 2010; Battle of Midway, 2017) and Todd Pletcher (Liam’s Map, 2015; Life is Good, 2021) have saddled two winners, while jockeys Rafael Bejarano, Javier Castellano, Irad Ortiz Jr. and Joel Rosario have each been in the irons for two winners.
Albertus Maximus in 2008 still owns the stakes record for the one-mile distance (or about one mile) when he stopped the teletimer in 1:33.41 at Santa Anita in 2008.