City of Hope Mile 2024 Analysis

By Jarrod Horak

The Grade 2, $200,000 City of Hope Mile will be run at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, September 28, 2024, and this is Win & You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The nine entrants will travel one mile on the turf course and Johannes is the 4-5 morning line favorite. The City of Hope Mile goes as the tenth race on the California Crown program with a scheduled post time of 8:15 p.m. EDT.

City of Hope Mile Analysis

#6 Trikari (8-1) is a razor sharp 3-year-old shipper for Graham Motion. He is 5 for his last 7 and missed by a neck in his two losses. The versatile colt won the Grade 1 Belmont Derby by a head at 1 3/16 on July 6 (140 Final Time Rating), and he cut back to a flat mile and was a strong winner of the Grade 2 Secretariat on Aug. 11 (147 Final). He beat Brilliant Berti by 2 1/4 lengths last time and that one returned to win the Gun Runner Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 8.

#3 Johannes (4-5) is a win machine (6-for-7 on turf). The 4-year-old colt is 5-for-5 at Santa Anita and 3-for-3 at one mile. He won all three graded starts this year under his regular rider Umberto Rispoli. He can stalk or close and is probably going to win this race if he maintains top form.

#5 Easter (10-1) tries to rediscover sharp form. He shipped to California and rattled off wins in the restricted Lure Stakes. Grade 2 Seabiscuit, and San Gabriel (G2) last year. He rallied for the place in the Grade 1 Kilroe Mile in March, and was a flat 6th of 11 in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) and 5th of 9 in the Grade 2 Eddie Read (off slow, blinkers on). He removes blinkers and Antonio Fresu stays put, and he will try to get involved late. He fits with these on his best day but probably won’t get enough pace to chase.  

City of Hope Mile Video