One of the annual marquee races on Santa Anita Park’s spring-summer calendar is held on Memorial Day. The $300,000, Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile Stakes usually attracts the best turf milers in California along with some shippers from out of state to compete, and a robust field is lined up for this year’s renewal.

Unlike years past, the Shoemaker Mile is not part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series in 2024, but several horses competing on Memorial Day can be expected to target the 41^st World Championships at nearby Del Mar in November.

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The Shoemaker Mile, named after legendary Southern California jockey Bill Shoemaker, will be televised live on FanDuel TV with a scheduled post time of 9 p.m. ET. Get to know all of the runners plus some handicapping insights in ABR’s Cheat Sheet Presented by 1/ST BET.

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1. War At Sea (15-1 morning-line odds)

Jockey: Armando Ayuso

Trainer: Ron Elllis

Owner: Doubledown Stables

Career record: 18 starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 4 thirds

Career earnings: $322,972

Earnings per start: $17,943

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 113

Pedigree: War Front – Serene Melody, by Street Cry

Age: 5

Color: Bay

Running style: Stalker/closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This son of top turf sire War Front has assembled a fine career racing mainly in Southern California over the past three-plus years without ever breaking into the upper echelon of his division. War At Sea has tallied two career stakes wins, the first in a 1 1/8-mile listed stakes at Santa Anita Park back in June 2022 and the second last November in the Golden Gate Handicap, which was run at 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather track at Golden Gate Fields. In the four starts since then, he’s finished fourth, second twice, and most recently eighth and beaten by eight lengths in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes Presented by FanDuel TV held at 1 ¼ miles on Santa Anita’s turf. War At Sea earned his best career Equibase Speed Figure of 113 two starts back when he ran second to Johannes in the Grade 3 American Stakes going one mile at Santa Anita in April. If he can cycle back to that effort, he has a chance to fill in the exacta or trifecta Monday at good odds, especially since there appears to be enough speed lined up in the Shoemaker to set up his off-the-pace rally. He’s a longshot to win, however.

Bet War At Sea to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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2. Du Jour (3-1)

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Owners: Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni

Career record: 17 starts – 6 wins – 3 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $1,118,220

Earnings per start: $65,778

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 115

Pedigree: Temple City – Guiltless, by Bernardini

Age: 6

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has built his career developing dirt runners for the Triple Crown series and the Breeders’ Cup, but on occasion he gets a top-class turf horse in his barn, and Du Jour is one of the best he’s had. The Temple City gelding has earned more than $1.1 million and won four stakes races since debuting in late 2020, capturing his first Grade 1 in his lead-in race to the Shoemaker when he accelerated through the stretch to win the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes at Santa Anita by two lengths in early March, earning a career-best 115 Equibase Speed Figure. Other than a 10^th-place finish in last fall’s FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile Presented by PDJF, Du Jour has been in great form for over a year, and that includes a sixth-place finish in last year’s Shoemaker where he raced in tight quarters late but still finished only 3 ¼ lengths out of first. There’s no reason to expect anything less than another game effort Monday, and he should have a fast pace to close into as well. A main win candidate with Flavien Prat in the irons. Prat won the 2018 Shoemaker aboard Hunt.

Bet Du Jour to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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3. There Goes Harvard (15-1)

Jockey: Juan Hernandez

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Owner: Cannon Thoroughbreds

Career record: 15 starts – 4 wins – 5 seconds – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $466,090

Earnings per start: $31,073

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 109

Pedigree: Will Take Charge – Soul Crusader, by Fusaichi Pegasus

Age: 6

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: There Goes Harvard is a wild card contender in the Shoemaker Mile. He started his career racing on dirt in California for trainer Michael McCarthy, and then was sent to Kentucky where he made two more starts on dirt before switching to turf at Ellis Park during summer 2021, resulting in a maiden win and then a nose loss in an allowance race. After one more start in the Bluegrass State – a runner-up finish in a dirt stakes at Ellis – There Goes Harvard moved back to McCarthy’s barn in California, where he raced five times in 2022 and twice last year. His career-best race occurred in May 2022, when he posted an upset win as the fourth betting choice in a five-horse field contesting the 1 ¼-mile, Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes on dirt at Santa Anita. His three races since that triumph have been disappointing, although he’s also had trouble at the start in each of them. More concerning is the fact that this now 6-year-old horse has not started since March 2023, when he finished fifth in the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by Yamaava’ Resort & Casino, another 1 ¼-mile, Grade 1 stakes on dirt. It’s hard to see him winning the Shoemaker Mile, but if he can recapture at least some of his form from two years ago, There Goes Harvard could fill out the trifecta or superfecta at what should be high odds. McCarthy won the 2021 Shoemaker Mile with Smooth Like Strait, and jockey Juan Hernandez was aboard last year’s winner, Exaulted.

Bet There Goes Harvard to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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4. Conclude (6-1)

Jockey: Hector Berrios

Trainer: Phil D’Amato

Owners: Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables, and the estate of Brereton Jones

Career record: 6 starts – 4 wins – 1 second – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $359,600

Earnings per start: $59,933

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 114

Pedigree: Collected – Believe You Can, by Proud Citizen

Age: 4

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This 4-year-old Collected colt whose dam is 2012 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can is an “upside” candidate to win the Shoemaker Mile as he’s shown the ability to handle steps up in class through his six-start career and enters Monday’s race having won three stakes in a row. He’ll have to overcome a layoff of more than 8 ½ months to continue that streak, however, as he’s been away from competition since posting a game head victory Sept. 3 in the 1 1/8-mile, Grade 2 Caesars Sportsbook Del Mar Derby (stablemate Almendares finished a length back in third). Conclude has been training well for his return in recent weeks, and if he can resume that encouraging 2023 trajectory in his first start at age 4, he should be right in the mix at the end for four-time Shoemaker-winning trainer Phil D’Amato. Like several other starters, Conclude prefers to race on or close to the pace and he showed a willingness to respond to stretch challenges in his starts last year, which he might need to summon again.

Bet Conclude to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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5. Irideo (20-1)

Jockey: Jeremy Laprida

Trainer: Marcelo Polanco

Owner: Pozo de Luna

Career record: 25 starts – 6 wins – 5 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $396,844

Earnings per start: $15,874

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 108

Pedigree: Easing Along – Infiltrada, by Footstepsinthesand

Age: 8

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This Argentine-bred gelding is a good bet to trail the Shoemaker Mile field early on, sitting well off of the leaders before beginning a sustained rally on the far turn. That’s been his M.O. ever since moving from his native country to the U.S. back in spring 2022, and it’s helped him accumulate well over $300,000 racing on the California circuit even if he’s only picked up two stakes wins in 19 starts in this country. In last year’s Shoemaker Mile, Irideo was more than 13 lengths off of the pace after a half-mile before rallying and finishing in second, a half-length behind Exaulted, at odds of 41.70-1. Since then, he’s made eight starts with one on-the-board finish, a nose victory in his 2024 debut, the 6 ½-furlong Clocker’s Corner Stakes on Santa Anita’s turf in January. In his most recent start, Irideo failed to fire in the one-mile, Grade 3 American Stakes in April at Santa Anita and finished seventh, beaten by 6 ½ lengths by winner Johannes. The evidence at hand overwhelmingly suggests that Irideo will need a fast early pace to have any chance at hitting the board in this competitive renewal of the Shoemaker Mile, and that could happen with several forwardly placed runners entered. A best-case scenario could have him closing late to spice up the exacta/trifecta payouts, while his win chances are remote.

Bet Irideo to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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6. Air Force Red (12-1)

Jockey: Edwin Maldonado

Trainer: Leonard Powell

Owners: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Holly Golightly

Career record: 17 starts – 5 wins – 2 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $438,974

Earnings per start: $25,822

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 118

Pedigree: Air Force Blue – Mesana, by Mizzen Mast

Age: 6

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This 6-year-old ridgling has competed well enough over the past year and a half but is winless in his last seven starts. Since tallying his only graded stakes victory to date in the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on turf at Santa Anita back in December 2022, Air Force Red has finished second twice, third once, and off the board in four other races. His two runner-up finishes over this span both came by a head, including his last-out effort, when he set a contested pace in the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields April 27 but then drifted out in the stretch and could not hold off a rallying Lammas in the final strides.  Air Force Red did earn a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 118 in that outing, which tops the Shoemaker Mile field. Still, his inability to finish off races is a concern against this quality bunch, several of whom are in better recent form. Look for him to be an early pace factor at the very least.

Bet Air Force Red to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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7. Dominican Pioneer (20-1)

Jockey: Kazushi Kimura

Trainer: Wesley Ward

Owner: R. T Racing Stable

Career record: 11 starts – 4 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds

Career earnings: $398,923

Earnings per start: $36,266

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 115

Pedigree: Pioneerof the Nile – Heatherdoesntbluff, by Old Trieste

Age: 5

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Pacesetter/press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This ridgling is one of two Shoemaker Mile contenders shipping in from Kentucky for trainer Wesley Ward along with Funtastic Again. Dominican Pioneer has been competitive since switching to turf for Ward in his fourth start, winning three of eight races and finishing second twice. He made his 4-year-old debut April 6 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race at Keeneland and set the pace despite fighting his rider early in the race, only to drift out and then in during the stretch run as he tired and finished second to Running Bee. That race’s winner subsequently finished third in the Grade 3 Dinner Party Stakes May 18 at Pimlico, while the third-place finisher in this stakes-quality allowance, Master Piece, came back to win the Grade 2 Fort Marcy Stakes May 4 at Belmont at the Big A. The Keeneland effort should serve as a good tune-up for Dominican Pioneer and he’s eligible to improve in his second start at age 5, but he could be hard-pressed to sustain his front-running ability competing against several Shoemaker foes who also prefer to race on the lead.

Bet Dominican Pioneer to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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8. Funtastic Again (8-1)

Jockey: Frankie Dettori

Trainer: Wesley Ward

Owner: Three Chimneys Farm

Career record: 9 starts – 4 firsts – 1 second – 2 thirds

Career earnings: $348,694

Earnings per start: $38,744

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 115

Pedigree: Funtastic – Repeta, by Broken Vow

Age: 4

Color: Chestnut

Running style: Press the pace

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Funtastic Again ships from Kentucky along with Dominican Pioneer for trainer Wesley Ward, and he enters the Shoemaker off of two quality starts so far in his 4-year-old season. The chestnut colt won his 2024 debut, a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race, by a widening three lengths on Turfway Park’s all-weather track, and then held the lead briefly at the top of the stretch before weakening and settling for third in the 1 1/8-mile TwinSpires Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes in March, a Grade 3 race also held on Turfway’s all-weather track. Funtastic Again has been at his best on the all-weather surface, tallying three out of his four career wins (the other came on dirt at Saratoga). He did run a solid second last May in the James W. Murphy Stakes Presented by Four Seasons of Baltimore on Pimlico’s turf course. Overall, Funtastic Again has an outside chance of pulling the upset in the Shoemaker Mile, but he could be a factor in the race even if he doesn’t win as one of several horses who should help establish a fast early pace with international star jockey Frankie Dettori aboard.

Bet Funtastic Again to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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9. Johannes (7-2)

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

Trainer: Tim Yakteen

Owner: CUYATHY

Career record: 8 starts – 4 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $243,859

Earnings per start: $30,482

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 116

Pedigree: Nyquist – Cuyathy, by Congrats

Age: 4

Color: Dark bay or brown

Running style: Stalker

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Several other Shoemaker Mile entrants have more impressive résumés, but this son of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist belongs among the top win contenders based on the improvement he showed in his first start of 2024 – a 1 ¾-length win in the one-mile, Grade 3 American Stakes at Santa Anita in early April. Johannes first turned heads at the end of 2022, when, in career start number four and his first on turf, he romped by nine lengths in a six-furlong sprint at Santa Anita. He followed that by winning two of three starts during 2023, both of them stakes races, and finished out the season in May by shipping to Churchill Downs and finishing fifth by two lengths in the 1 1/16-mile American Turf Stakes Presented by BMW. Trainer Tim Yakteen gave the colt a long rest after that race, and Johannes came back better than ever in the American Stakes, earning a career-best 116 Equibase Speed Figure. Repeating that effort puts him right in the mix to win the Shoemaker Mile, and his stalking running style could be advantageous Monday if he’s able to work out a good trip behind a projected fast pace and get first run at the leaders in the stretch. Jockey Umberto Rispoli won this race in 2021 aboard Smooth Like Strait.

Bet Johannes to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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10. Goliad (12-1)

Jockey: Kyle Frey

Trainer: Richard Mandella

Owners: Perry Bass II and Ramona Bass

Career record: 17 starts – 4 wins – 4 seconds – 1 third

Career earnings: $262,871

Earnings per start: $15,463

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 113

Pedigree: War Front – Choreograph, by Dynaformer

Age: 7

Color: Bay

Running style: Pacesetter

Notable achievements and interesting facts: Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has won the Shoemaker Mile three times, and will send out probable pacesetter Goliad in hopes of winning his fourth. The War Front gelding has led at the first point of call in eight of his last nine races, including three wins in that span. The victories came racing one mile on turf in an allowance-optional claiming race at Del Mar in September 2022; an allowance-optional claiming race held at one mile on Santa Anita’s turf back in January; and his lone career stakes win, the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes in early February at the same course and distance. He opened up a clear advantage early in all three races and had enough in the tank to prevail, but in the five other races since September 2022 he could not seal the deal. In his one race since the Thunder Road, Goliad took an early two-length lead in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes in March but yielded in upper stretch and finished sixth, 8 ¼ lengths behind winner Du Jour. The quality of Monday’s field in the Shoemaker is just as good, if not better, than the group Goliad faced in the Kilroe Mile, which makes him a longshot as a win candidate. Goliad’s presence, along with several other forwardly-placed runners, should ensure a fast pace in the Shoemaker.

Bet Goliad to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.

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11. Easter (7-2)

Jockey: Antonio Fresu

Trainer: Phil D’Amato

Owner: Madaket Stables

Career record: 20 starts – 7 wins – 4 seconds – 3 thirds

Career earnings: $627,910

Earnings per start: $31,396

Top Equibase Speed Figure: 114

Pedigree: Exosphere – Excellent Girl, by Exceed and Excel

Age: 6

Color: Bay

Running style: Closer

Notable achievements and interesting facts: This French import put it all together last fall for trainer Phil D’Amato, winning three consecutive stakes races on turf, including two Grade 2s, to close out his 5-year-old season. Prior to that, Easter had run competitively since moving to the U.S. from his home country in 2022 but without a stakes victory. He returned for his 6-year-old season in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes March 3 and ran well but was no match for Du Jour late, finishing second by two lengths. Easter should move forward off of that race and is a win threat in the Shoemaker Mile, although he’ll be matching up against Du Jour again along with a few other accomplished turf runners. Look for him to be rolling late through the stretch if he gets a fast pace to cut into.

Bet Easter to win the Shoemaker Mile Stakes.