Master Of The Seas A Convincing Winner of the Maker's Mark Mile

Making his fourth straight appearance on the North American continent, Godolphin's Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) overcame easy underfoot conditions and five other rivals to add Friday's GI Maker's Mark Mile to his previous victories in the GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile and GI Breeders' Cup Mile when last seen at Santa Anita last November. Naval Power (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), conversely racing for the first time on these shores, completed the exacta for the 'Boys In Blue.'

Sent off at 77 cents on the dollar while making his 6-year-old debut on a rare sunny afternoon in Central Kentucky, Master Of The Seas gained a foothold at the fence and raced in the slipstream of pacesetting 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready), though perhaps a fraction keen beneath William Buick through an opening quarter in :24.38 on ground officially listed as yielding, but riding significantly slower than that.

More or less into the box seat inside of 'Rising Star' and 2022 Maker's Mark winner Shirl's Speight (Speightstown) passing the half-mile in :49.20, Master Of The Seas traveled strongly on the turn, looking all over a winner assuming he was able to find running room when push came to shove. They lined up six across the course at the three-sixteenths, but Master Of The Seas went for a run underneath the weakening pacesetter in upper stretch and kicked on nicely to win off as much the best. Naval Power was a touch slow to begin, but split horses four off the inside with a bit better than a furlong to travel and came home well for second. Integration (Quality Road) came wide for the drive, but could not match strides with the Godolphin duo and settled for a never-nearer third.

No stopping MASTER OF THE SEAS as he surges to victory in the @MakersMark Mile (G1)! pic.twitter.com/qDyjEMaMH2

— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 12, 2024

Master Of The Seas joins the likes of Kip Deville and Wise Dan (2x) to have won the Maker's Mark subsequent to their Breeders' Cup Mile successes. Miesque's Approval won the 2006 Maker's Mark before upsetting that year's Mile at Churchill Downs. It was a first win in the race for Sheikh Mohammed's operation.

“When he's done as much winning as he has over here (in North America) on quick ground, you're always slightly dubious when the ground is as testing as it is out there today, but he does have past form on slower surfaces,” said winning trainer Charlie Appleby. “What I liked about it is that they (stablemates Master of The Seas and runner-up Naval Power [GB]) got into a nice rhythm around there. Naval Power unfortunately was a bit slow from the gate. (Jockey) William (Buick) got in a lovely (position) for (Master of The Seas). Once they came off the turn, all William needed was that gap to be able to give him the signal to pick up.”

Nearly three years ago to the day, Master Of The Seas was winning the G3 Craven S. at Newmarket before going down to a nose defeat at the hooves of Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the G1 English 2000 Guineas a few weeks later at British racing headquarters. Winner of the G3 Earl of Sefton S. in a single 4-year-old start, the bay was unseen again until taking out the G2 Zabeel Mile in Dubai in early 2023, but he was never a factor in the G1 Dubai Turf two months later.

The easy winner of the G2 Summer Mile over the straight course at Ascot last July, Master Of The Seas easily accounted for Shirl's Speight in Toronto in September, was outfinished by champion Up to the Mark (Not This Time) in the GI Keeneland Turf Mile over course and distance Oct. 7 and managed to conquer gate 13 of 13 in the Breeders' Cup Mile, pegging back the commonly owned Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) on the wire.

Appleby said that both Master Of The Seas and Naval Power would remain in the U.S., with the former likely for the GI Turf Classic on the Kentucky Derby undercard May 4. Both horses will summer in Saratoga, the trainer said.

Pedigree Notes:

Master of the Seas, one of 57 Group 1/Grade I winners for his legendary sire, is one of 10 winners from 12 to the races from his dam, a listed winner and runner-up in the 2002 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches in France and later twice placed in this country at the graded level while under the care of Eoin Harty.

Firth of Lorne's G3 UAE Oaks-winning daughter Falls of Lora is  not only the dam of Godolphin's four-time Australian Group 1 winner Cascadian (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), but also of Albahr (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the 2019 GI Summer S. at Woodbine, and Isle of Jura (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), a three- time listed winner in Bahrain this season. Another daughter of Firth of Lorne, Bint Almatar (Kingmambo), produced G1 Metropolitan S. hero Just Fine (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

Firth of Lorne's final foal is the 4-year-old filly Sithchean (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), victorious in her lone trip to the races over the Chelmsford all-weather in March 2023.

Friday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK MILE S.-GI, $517,775, Keeneland, 4-12, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:37.10, yl.
1–MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE), 123, g, 6, by Dubawi (Ire)
     1st Dam: Firth of Lorne (Ire) (SW & G1SP-Fr, MGSP-USA, $163,189), by Danehill
     2nd Dam: Kerrera (Ire), by Diesis (GB)
     3rd Dam: Rimosa's Pet (GB), by Petingo (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles Appleby; J-William Buick. $306,125. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Eur & Eng at 7-9.5f, 17-9-3-2, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW & G1SP-UAE, GISW-Can, $2,520,582. *1/2 to Latharnach (Iffraaj {GB}), SW & G1SP-Eng, $217,472; Falls of Lora (Ire) (Street Cry {Ire}), GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417; and Etive (Elusive Quality), SW-Ger, MSP-Fr, $126,693. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Naval Power (GB), 123, g, 4, Teofilo (Ire)–Emirates Rewards (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charles Appleby. $98,750.
3–Integration, 123, c, 4, Quality Road–Harmonize, by Scat Daddy. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($700,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, LLC; B-Larkin Armstrong (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $59,250.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.77, 5.80, 3.74.
Also Ran: Shirl's Speight, Emmanuel, Kubrick (Ire). Scratched: Du Jour, Equitize (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.