Godolphin's 2022 male turf champion and two-time Breeders' Cup winner Modern Games heads a field of eight 4-year-olds and up entered Tuesday for Friday's 35th running of the $600,000 Maker's Mark Mile (G1) on the Keeneland turf course in Lexington, Ky.
The Maker's Mark Mile will go as the ninth race on Friday's 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post on Friday is 1 p.m.
Trained by Charlie Appleby, Irish-bred Modern Games (by Dubawi) arrived at Keeneland on Saturday in a return to where he finished his 2022 campaign with a victory as the 6-5 favorite in a field of 14 in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF on Nov. 5 in his most recent start.
This is the fourth trip to North America for Modern Games, who has taken home the first-place check in all of his previous ventures. As a 2-year-old, he won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar and last year dominated the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1) in Canada before the Breeders' Cup.
An earner of more than $3 million, Modern Games will be ridden Friday by William Buick and break from post position seven.
Among his rivals are Grade 1 winners Speaking Scout and Brazilian-bred In Love.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Speaking Scout won the Hollywood Derby (G1) at Del Mar to close his 2022 campaign and opened 2023 with a third-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Presented by Qatar Racing at Gulfstream Park.
Trained by Graham Motion, Speaking Scout will be ridden by Luis Saez and break from post position one. The Mr Speaker gelding worked a half-mile at Keeneland on Monday in :49.20 on the main track.
Bonne Chance Farm and Stud R D I's 7-year-old gelding In Love won the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) in 2021 for trainer Paulo Lobo. In Love, by the Japanese-bred sire Agnes Gold, will be ridden Friday by Vincent Cheminaud and break from post position six.
Making his U.S. stakes debut for owner Peter Brant and trainer Chad Brown is Dr Zempf.
A group winner last year in Ireland, Dr Zempf was an easy allowance winner at Gulfstream on March 10. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on the Great Britain-bred 4-year-old Dark Angel gelding, who will break from post position five.
Brant and Brown teamed up to win the 2021 Maker's Mark Mile with Raging Bull.
The field for the Maker's Mark Mile, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Speaking Scout (Saez, 123 pounds); Up to the Mark (Irad Ortiz Jr., 123); Chez Pierre (FR) (Flavien Prat, 123); Emmanuel (Javier Castellano, 123); Dr Zempf (GB) (Gaffalione, 123); In Love (BRZ) (Cheminaud, 123); Modern Games (IRE) (Buick, 123); Cabo Spirit (Umberto Rispoli, 123).
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