2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile Betting Trends

Uni is back to defend her title in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). (Photo credit: Chris Crestik/Eclipse Sportswire/Breeders’ Cup/CSM).

This year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) drew a strong field that includes defending champion Uni, who is seeking to beat the boys again.

The Chad Brown trainee got the job done as the second choice at Santa Anita last year, returning her backers $9.20. The ladies dominated, Got Stormy completing a $2 exacta as the betting favorite, paying $32.60.

They beat the Euro invading duo of Without Parole and Circus Maximus who were third and fourth, the latter back for another try to turn the tables for Aiden O’Brien this year. Despite winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) a record six times, O’Brien has not won the Mile.

Kameko is the betting favorite in early Breeders’ Cup Mile wagering at BUSR at 7-2. The Andrew Balding trainee won the Shadwell Joel Stakes (G2) at Newmarket in his last start. It was his fourth win in nine career starts. He won the 2000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket back in June.

Uni is the second choice at 5-1, followed by Ivar at 8-1. The Paulo Lobo trained Ivar won the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) over the Keeneland turf in his last start. Bred in Brazil, the colt started off his career with three wins in Argentina, two of those Group 1 victories.

Sign Up Bonus Up To $250 at TVG.

2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile Betting Trends

• While the Euros have dominated the Breeders’ Cup Turf in recent years, the home team has done well in the Mile, winning seven of the last nine and 22 of 36 overall.
• The betting favorite has won the Mile a dozen times in the 36 editions.
• There have been 10 three-year-olds win the Mile. Among those, eight were Euro invaders including the last four.
• 10 fillies and mares have beaten the boys in the Mile. Three of those were by Goldikova, who pulled off the hat trick from 2008 through 2010. Eight of the 10 were Euros, the lone exceptions the Mark Casse trained Tepin who won in 2015 at Keeneland and Uni last year for trainer Chad Brown.
• Trainer Aiden O’Brien, who has won a dozen Breeders’ Cup races including the Breeders’ Cup Turf six times is a remarkable 0 for 24 in the Mile. He has saddled the runner up four times.
• We have only seen two wire winners of the race, Lure at Gulfstream Park in 1992 and again in 1993 at Santa Anita.
• In addition to Goldikova wining the Mile three times, we have had four others win it twice—Miesque (1987-88), Lure (1992-93), Da Hoss (1996 and 1998) and Wise Dan (2012-13). Uni looks to make it six repeat winners this year.
• The key U.S. preps are the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland and the Woodbine Mile (G1), each have produced seven winners. The top Euro race is the Jacques Le Marois (G1) at Deauville which has also produced seven winners.
• The 2018 winner Expert Eye ($13.80) exited the Prix de Moulin de Longchamp (G1), the sixth Mile winner to use that race as a prep. He was he first to win the Mile without a previous Grade or Group 1 win since Court Vision in 2011.
• Expert Eye was the first and only Mile winner to not have a previous win at the distance in the history of the race. His previous wins came at six and seven furlongs.
• We have seen two exactas in the Mile pay over $1,000 topped by the Court Vision (64-1) and Turallure (11-1) combo that paid $1979.80 in 2011. There have been 13 exactas that topped $225+.
• Post positions 11 and 12 have each produced three winners, while the 13 and 14 posts are a combined 1 for 41.