Rogers Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1)
“Notable Speech wins on a mixed night for Godolphin”
This was a 3rd win in 4 years in the Woodbine Mile for Charlie Appleby and the Godolphin team after the earlier successes of Modern Games (2022) and Master of the Seas (2023). However, having already had a couple of significant disappointments earlier on the card, they could have been forgiven for thinking that it wasn’t going to be their night. Wild Desert was certainly unlucky in the Summer Stakes as she made up significant ground around the field, running the fastest final 2-furlongs and recording a run-out speed of 38.43 mph, losing out to the Riley Mott trained Argos by 0.03s. She was unfortunate, but Dance to the Music struggled to settle in the Johnny Walker Natalma Stakes, trailing in 4th behind Corsia Veloce despite running the fastest final furlong in 11.68s. Both had been turned over at a very short price, but any thoughts of leaving Woodbine on Saturday evening were quickly dispelled when Notable Speech entered the stage.
A winning time of 1:35.33 is actually the slowest winning time in this race since Mondialiste won for David O’Meara in 2015. However, unlike in the earlier races, William Buick was able to get a good tune out of Notable Speech from the gate despite being the slowest horse in the opening furlong (12.87s). Notable Speech ranked 3rd for both the 2nd and 3rd furlongs of the race as he made ground though runners to sit 3-lengths behind the pace after holding the inside line around the first turn. For a brief moment he looked short of room as they rounded the far turn, but Hunt Master lost ground on the outside as he put in the slowest furlong in the field at that point and that allowed Notable Speech the racing room he needed to swing wide and make his challenge. Once into the home straight, he quickened readily down the outside of the field, closing with race best furlongs of 11.94 and 11.81s to get the better of My Boy Prince, who had enjoyed the run of the race in front. At an average of 22.9 ft, Notable Speech had the shortest stride in the field, but he cruised around on the inside and had far too much class for this field when the pace lifted in the closing stages. All roads must surely now lead to the Breeders’ Cup Mile, but should he now be considered the favourite for the race?
This was a first success since he won the Sussex Stakes in 2024 and whilst there have been excuses for some of his defeats earlier in the season, this was an easier task and the gaps opened at the right time against horses that have achieved less. My Boy Prince was 4th at Saratoga last time and Gas Me Up was the winner of Grade 2 King Edward Stakes here in August, but the pair of them enjoyed the run of the race in front and were still involved in the finish despite a consistent pace that led to a finishing speed below 100% for all but the winner. This was clearly a step back in the right direction from Notable Speech, but there will almost certainly be bigger obstacles to be overcome at Del Mar in November. Notable Speech was the best horse in the race, by a fair margin and I don’t want to detract from what he has achieved, but he was able to give away 0.64s to the runner-up over the opening quarter of a mile and still win a shade cosily. If he does the same thing at Del Mar, the horses in front are less likely to be stopping.