Some of the brightest stars in thoroughbred racing have won the Metropolitan Mile (G1), including Forego, Holy Bull, Ghostzapper, and more recently Flightline and Cody’s Wish.
There’s a trio of top-flight horses – Fierceness, White Abarrio, and Raging Torrent – headlining a compact field of five in the 132nd edition of one of the most prestigious races in the country.
Fierceness, fresh off his win in the Alysheba Stakes (G2) on May 3 at Churchill Downs in his 4-year-old debut, is the even-money favorite. He’s won three of his last four starts to reverse a pattern of winning big then losing big.
White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner and 2-for-2 this year as a 6-year-old (Pegasus World Cup and the Ghostzapper Stakes), is 9-5.
Raging Torrent, winner of the Godolphin Mile (G2) in his 4-year-old debut, is 5-1.
Perhaps a rising star, Just a Touch, can spring an upset. He’s won two in a row by a combined 17 ½ lengths, although not in stakes company.
Also known as the Met Mile, the winner earns an automatic berth to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Del Mar in November as part of the “Win and You’re In" series.
Fierceness may have the edge since he’s 3-for-3 at Saratoga.
“We feel good about it. He won the Jim Dandy and the Travers Stakes and broke his maiden over this track, so we know he seems to like it here,’’ trainer Todd Pletcher said.
For those who bet on horses, the Met Mile is one of four Grade 1 races prior to the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1).
White Abarrio is 3-for-4 since being returned to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. in June 2024. The gray son of Race Day has won 10 of 21 starts with earnings of nearly $7 million.
“We feel like he’s in top form right now, and if everything continues into the race, we go in there with an extremely good chance,” Joseph said.
As for Raging Torrent, trained by Doug O’Neill, the colt has won five of his last six races. His only clunker came in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) when he finished seventh after weakening in the stretch.
“We realize the Met Mile is going to be a super tough race, which it always is, and a very prestigious and honorable race, and we’re just excited and optimistic about our chances,’’ O’Neill said.
The past three Met Mile winners went on to be voted champions.
After Flightline won in 2022, he went on to victories in the Pacific Classic (G1) and the BC Classic and won Eclipse Awards as older male champion and Horse of the Year.
After Cody’s Wish won in 2023, he went on to win the Vosburgh Stakes (G1) and the BC Dirt Mile (G1) and was voted champion older make and Horse of the Year.
And last year, National Treasure went gate-to-wire in the Met Mile and was voted champion older male.
White Abarrio is back for the third time – he was third in 2023 and fifth in 2024.
Post time for the Met Mile is 3:17 p.m. (race 8).
