How to bet the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes

A talented group of nine will travel eight furlongs on the Keeneland green in Friday’s $650,000 Maker’s Mile S. (G1). I feel that three horses are potentially a cut above the rest of their foes in the event and will focus on the trio for the top slots in my vertical exotics plays. 

Maker’s Mark Wagers

• $6 trifecta 6 with 1,3 with 1,3,7 ($24)
• 20-cent superfecta 1,6 with 1,3,6,7 with 1,3,6,7 with all ($14.40)

Morning-line choice #6 Carl Spackler (9-5) will be formidable with something close to his top performance for conditioner Chad Brown. By Lope de Vega, the five-year-old has been a high-level performer since his sophomore season and reached new heights last campaign by eclipsing a pair of Grade 1 races, including a tally in the Turf Mile S. (G1) on this oval in the fall. A respectable sixth in the deep Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) to close out 2024, the Irish-bred chestnut has worked well in advance of his seasonal debut and he has consistently run very well off the layoff in the past. He is six-for-eight at the distance and will never be far back with Flavien Prat in the stirrups. 

I felt that #1 Integration (3-1) turned a corner of sorts in the second half of last year for conditioner Shug McGaughey, and he commenced his five-year-old season with a game runner-up performance in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) last time out, as well. The son of Quality Road has posted some swift turf drills leading up to this contest. I’m not overly confident that one-mile is his ideal trip, but the bay is super versatile and showed a new dimension by tracking close to a fast pace at Gulfstream Park in his latest venture. Frankie Dettori retains the mount, and Integration could secure a dream trip while saving ground behind a lively early tempo to the top of the stretch. 

Graham Motion’s Grade-1 winning #3 Trikari (8-1) annexed a trio of graded races as a sophomore, led by a game score in the Belmont Derby (G1) in the summer. The Oscar Performance colt tailed off a bit to conclude 2024, but he is a high-class colt who comes in with nine morning works for a fantastic layoff trainer, and I expect a big run against this cast. He is not a pure miler similar to the aforementioned contender, but the bay is full of class and can adapt to the voyage with John Velazquez taking the reins. 

For the lower rungs of the gimmicks, #7 Silent Heart (8-1) looks like an ideal one-mile type to me and could make some noise in the lane if he gets a good trip. The Heart to Heart colt is consistently good, and while I don’t envision him upsetting the group, I expect him to be in a good spot at the top of the lane for trainer Brian Lynch.