2025 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

Top older turf milers take the spotlight Friday, April 11, for the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes at Keeneland Race Course in central Kentucky. The race offers a $500,000 purse plus a $150,000 Kentucky-bred supplement, for which six of the nine entrants are eligible. It is one of the biggest races of the American turf season, an exciting preview of the top turf milers of spring and summer. And, it is always a great betting race!

The likely favorite is multiple Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler, who makes his first start for trainer Chad Brown since a close sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last fall. Other top contenders include Integration, who cuts back from a close second in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) last out, as well as the up-and-coming Northern Invader, who finished a close second in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3) in his seasonal debut.

This race began its life as the Fort Harrod Stakes in 1989, and has been named after bourbon brand Maker’s Mark since 1997, and was known as the Maker’s 46 Mile Stakes from 2012 through 2019. It has held a Grade 1 designation since 2008. Many of its winners have also won the Breeders’ Cup Mile during their careers including Opening Verse (1991), Artie Schiller (2005), Miesque’s Approval (2006), Kip Deville (2007, 2008), Wise Dan (2013, 2014), and Master of the Seas (2024). Other major horses to win the race include Breeders’ Futurity winner Tejano Run (1996), durable Canadian champion and fan favorite Heart to Heart (2018), and Preakness winner War of Will (2020).

With less than a month to go until the Kentucky Derby, check out the latest Kentucky Derby odds and see which contenders are set to compete!

2025 Maker's Mark Mile Stakes Information

• Race Date: Friday, April 11, 2025
• Track: Keeneland Race Course
• Post Time: 5:16 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• Distance: one mile on the turf
• Age/Sex: four-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Maker's Mark Mile Odds

This is the field for the 2025 Maker's Mark Mile, including trainers, jockeys, post positions, and morning-line odds.

Maker's Mark Mile Prep Results

The nine runners in the Maker’s Mark Mile come out of nine different races. Eight are stakes, with six being graded.

Two horses come out of Grade 1 company. Carl Spackler comes out of a sixth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, 2 ¾ lengths behind More Than Looks. Integration raced a bit more recently finishing second by a neck behind Spirit of St Louis in the Pegasus World Cup Turf.

Four others last raced in Grade 3 races, though none won those most recent starts. Northern Invader was a close second to Running Bee in the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3), Silent Heart was third by a neck behind Fort Washington in a blanket finish in the Canadian Turf (G3) at Gulfstream, Trikari was sixth beaten three lengths in the Bryan Station (G3) last fall at Keeneland, and Funtastic Again was most recently a well-beaten ninth in the Mint Million (G3) last September at Kentucky Downs.

Two others come out of ungraded stakes, including the only last-out winner in the field. Seminole Chief prompted the pace and battled on to win the one-mile Appleton at Gulfstream by ¾ length on March 29. Santorini was last seen finishing fifth in the Dust Commander at 1 1/16 miles at Turfway in February, making him the only runner whose last race did not come on the lawn.

Grand Apen is the only horse in the field who did not run in a stakes last out. He most recently finished a late-running fourth in a second-level allowance March 2 at Santa Anita, going a mile on the lawn.

Maker's Mark Mile Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the Maker's Mark Mile, organized by post position:

1. Integration: This 5-year-old Shug McGaughey trainee has been positioned as the next big thing in the turf division for a year and a half now. He has continually run good enough efforts to fit in big turf races, but he still has yet to break through at the (G1) level. His best effort yet came last out in the Pegasus World Cup Turf, where he finished second, beaten only a neck, and it’s a positive that he gets jockey Frankie Dettori back. On one hand, the mile may be on the short side for him and the price won’t be much. On the other hand, there is a lot of pace in this race, and he is a quality closer.
2. Funtastic Again: Toss the last, some horses just hate Kentucky Downs. Looking at the rest of his form, he consistently runs good races on both turf and synthetic, and ran a very nice second two back in the Shoemaker (G1) at Keeneland, his only (G1) try on the lawn. That effort gives him some long shot appeal, too, if he comes back off the bench sharp: after all, he was able to attend near a very fast pace and stay on for the place, showing the fighting spirit that a speed horse will need in this race.
3. Trikari: He emerged as one of the top three-year-olds on the lawn last year, including a win in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), though he tailed off a bit at the end of a long campaign. However, he could pick up nicely at a price here. He ran a close fourth in the City of Hope Mile (G2) last year as a three-year-old, and three back he won the one-mile Secretariat (G2) against his own age group, making a good off-the-pace run when doing so. With plenty of speed in the race, he has a chance at a good trip. It’s a minor concern that he has yet to bring his best at Keeneland, but one try was his debut and the other was the end of a long campaign, the kinds of things you can forgive on a price horse, especially for a barn that won with the filly Miss Temple City already.
4. Grand Aspen: This lightly raced six-year-old has tried a lot of different things during the course of his 13 races. On one hand, all three of his turf mile tries have been good, and he is a late-running sort who could trip out. The question is how fast he can go on the lawn—he has some races that are fast enough, but not on the grass. He isn’t impossible for a share, though, if he takes another step forward third off the lay, a strong possibility for a Jonathan Thomas trainee.
5. Santorini: He steps up to graded-stakes company for the first time since December 2023, and his first time as an older horse. However, his only wins in the interim have come in allowance company; he has been well beaten in both stakes tries since. Pace-wise, he is in a pickle as well, with enough other speed in this race that he is like to get embroiled in a battle and weaken late.
6. Carl Spackler: Chad Brown saddled Raging Bull to a win in 2021 and has another live chance this year. Carl Spackler is a stone-cold turf miler and the class of the field, and his only try at Keeneland was a victory in the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) last fall. The biggest question is his running style, as he is usually forward and there is a lot of speed. Even so, he has been able to win races while stalking or even adapting enough to settle back a couple of lengths off the pace when things get fast. This makes him dangerous, because his usual day at the office requires the best day from so many of his foes here.
7. Silent Heart: This consistent four-year-old has emerged as competitive against older horses, winning a salty allowance two back in his first start versus older, and then finishing third beaten only a neck for top honors in the Canadian Turf last out. The biggest question for this Brian Lynch trainee is pace: he does his best work on the pace. The good news is, he has shown grit on multiple occasions, giving him some chance. However, this would require a career best to win and this will be a difficult situation for him to find it in.
8. Northern Invader: He came close in the Tampa Bay Stakes last out, and the slight cutback in trip should suit him well. Trainer Cherie DeVaux is also building a pattern of targeting Keeneland, meaning she will likely have him in his best form. However, he is perhaps the most hurt of anyone by the abundance of pace in this spot. He does his best work when making the running, making it a difficult place for him to produce the needed career best effort with so much other speed in the field.
9. Seminole Chief: A lightly-raced four-year-old, he tried grass for the first time three back and has come into his own over the surface in the last three starts. However, it’s a big step up from winning the listed Appleton to a (G1) race. To his credit, he probably does not need to be right on the lead, as he won a second-level allowance two back after tracking a couple of lengths off the lead. And, he can get a clean trip from this outside draw. However, trainer Jack Sisterson tends to underperform in graded stakes, and Seminole Chief has not run a race anywhere near fast enough to challenge the real contenders in this field.

Maker's Mark Mile Past Winners Past Performances

In the last ten years, six of the winners of the Maker's Mark Mile last raced at a winter meet in Florida, either Gulfstream Park or Tampa Bay Downs.

Two horses come out of the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) or its predecessor race, the Gulfstream Park Turf (G1): Heart to Heart (2018) won the Gulfstream Park Turf, and Delta Prince (2019) was third in the Pegasus Turf. Other last-out Gulfstream runners include Jack Milton (2015), fourth in the Canadian Turf (G3), and American Patriot, who came in out of an allowance win in February at Gulfstream. American Patriot is the only Maker's Mark Mile winner in the last ten years to come out of a non-stakes race.

The two horses who came out of races at Tampa Bay Downs both came out of the Tampa Bay Stakes (G3). Shirl's Speight (2022) won that race, while Chez Pierre (2023) was sixth.

The other four winners in the last ten years come out of Grade 1 races at either Santa Anita or Keeneland. Master of the Seas (2024) came out of a victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita, while Raging Bull (2021) won the Maker's Mark Mile in his first start since a 10th-place run in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland. Filly Miss Temple City won in her first start since a second in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland the previous autumn, and War of Will (2020) had last finished sixth in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita.

Maker's Mark Mile Undercard

The Maker’s Mark Mile is the ninth race of 10 on Keeneland’s Friday card, and the graded-stakes highlight. There is one other stakes on the card, which drew an overflow field: the Limestone, carded as the day’s seventh race, is a turf sprint worth $200,000 (plus another $100,000 for Kentucky-breds), open to sophomore fillies. It drew 12 plus the maximum four on the also-eligible list.

There are large and competitive fields all day, and you can tune in on FanDuel TV for the entire card, which starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT. You can also bet every race online with FanDuel!

Keeneland

Lexington, Kentucky, is the home of one of the most important venues in worldwide horse racing—Keeneland Race Course. A group of horsemen opened the track in 1936, three years after the closure of the Kentucky Association track. Keeneland is unique in that it is not only home to a top-class racecourse, but also a sales ground from which top-class horses are purchased not just by US-based owners and trainers but from those as far afield as England, Ireland, France, and Dubai.

Racing fans flock to Keeneland for both top-class racing and excellent betting opportunities during two meets, held annually in April and October. Keeneland’s standing was highlighted again in 2009 when the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced its rating system which placed it right at the top at number one. Nestled in the heart of central Kentucky horse country, it is also a designated National Historic Landmark.

Maker's Mark Mile Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Maker's Mark Mile?

A: The Maker's Mark Mile (G1) happens Friday, April 11 at Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky. Scheduled post time is 5:16 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and the race is carded as the ninth race of 10 on the day.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Maker's Mark Mile?

A: Roger Attfield leads all trainers with three wins in the Maker’s Mark Mile, most recently with Shirl’s Speight in 2022. He is still active, but does not have a starter in 2025. Among trainers in the race this year, four trainers have won the race once before. Those include Chad Brown, (Cark Spackler), Brian Lynch (Silent Heart), Shug McGaughey (Integration), and Graham Motion (Trikari).

Q: Who is the favorite for the Maker's Mark Mile?

A: Carl Spackler has been named the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Between a good effort in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last out and the fact that he is trained by perpetually heavily bet trainer Chad Brown, Carl Spackler should indeed go off favored.

Q: Who is the best Maker's Mark Mile jockey?

A: Javier Castellano leads all jockeys with four wins in the Maker’s Mark Mile, most recently with Delta Prince in 2019. However, he does not have a call in 2025. Among jockeys who are riding this year, John Velazquez leads as a two-time race winner, with Soviet Line (1999) and Wise Dan (2014). He can make it three with Trikari.

Q: Who won the 2024 Maker's Mark Mile?

A: Master of the Seas won the 2024 Maker’s Mark Mile for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick. Neither returns to Keeneland for this race in 2025.

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