Defending champion Notable Speech will return to Woodbine on Saturday, September 12, to headline an eight-horse field for the $1 million Woodbine Mile (G1T), where the accomplished Godolphin homebred will face multiple graded stakes winner Deterministic and a strong international challenge over the E.P. Taylor turf course.
The Woodbine Mile will form part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, with the winner earning an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The prestigious one-mile turf contest will mark the 30th running of the race and will bring together a field combining established Grade 1 performers with several accomplished contenders arriving in notable form.
Notable Speech Returns to Defend Woodbine Mile Title
Trained by Charlie Appleby and bred and owned by Godolphin, Notable Speech will return to the course where he produced one of his most significant victories last season. Ridden by William Buick, the five-year-old will attempt to become another successful defending champion in the race’s distinguished history after winning the 2025 renewal by 1¾ lengths.
Godolphin and Appleby will have enjoyed an exceptional association with the Woodbine Mile in recent years. Modern Games won the race in 2022, Master of The Seas followed in 2023 and Notable Speech prevailed in 2025. Each subsequently captured the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the same season, giving Saturday’s contest added significance for the defending champion.
Notable Speech will arrive after winning the City Of York Stakes on August 22, a result that will mark his sixth Group 1 success and his first victory over seven furlongs. Appleby will expect the turning nature of Woodbine’s turf course and the prospect of a strong pace to suit his charge, who will return to the one-mile distance that has defined much of his career.
A son of Dubawi out of the Godolphin mare Swift Rose, Notable Speech will have begun his first 10 starts at a mile before establishing himself among Europe’s leading milers in 2024. He won the 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes before finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar, beaten by three-quarters of a length.
His 2025 campaign included fourth-place finishes in the Lockinge Stakes and Queen Anne Stakes and fifth in the July Cup before a narrow second in the Prix Jacques le Marois. He then travelled to Canada and delivered a decisive performance in the Woodbine Mile.
This season, Notable Speech finished fourth in the Maker’s Mark Mile in April, won the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May and finished sixth in the Queen Anne Stakes in June before returning to winning form in the City Of York Stakes.
Saturday’s appearance will be particularly notable as Notable Speech will retire to the Darley stallion roster at the end of 2026. He will enter the Woodbine Mile with nine victories, one second and one third from 18 starts and earnings of $3,995,726.
Archivist Brings Strong European Form
Among the principal international challengers will be Archivist, who will make his first North American appearance after compiling a productive campaign in Britain. Trained by Hamad Al-Jehani for Wathnan Racing, the four-year-old will arrive following victories at Goodwood and York.
Archivist won a one-mile contest at Goodwood on July 31 before producing a dominant performance in the Group 3 Strensall Stakes at York on August 22. He won that 1 1/16-mile event by 7½ lengths, establishing himself as a significant contender for his Canadian assignment.
Bred by Cheveley Park Stud, Archivist is by Provenance, a son of Galileo, and is a full brother to New Kingdom and a half-brother to Cruyff Turn and Paddy The Squire. He will bring a record of five wins, four seconds and two thirds from 14 starts, with earnings of $402,148.
His connections will be hoping that his ability to handle different ground conditions translates effectively to the E.P. Taylor turf course. Wathnan Racing will also draw on recent success at Woodbine, having won the Singspiel Stakes with Haunted Dream and the Canadian International with Silawi in 2025.
Deterministic Arrives on Six-Race Winning Streak
Deterministic will provide the most formidable domestic challenge to Notable Speech. The Miguel Clement trainee will enter the Woodbine Mile on a six-race winning streak, including four Grade 1 victories.
The four-year-old last prevailed in the Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga on August 8, securing a 1½-length victory and successfully defending his title in the one-mile turf fixture. Kendrick Carmouche will again take the mount, having ridden Deterministic in each of his six consecutive victories since the Fort Marcy Stakes in May 2025.
Owned by St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker and Vicarage Stable, Deterministic is by Liam’s Map out of the Speightstown mare Giulio’s Jewel. He has won 10 of 16 starts, with three seconds and one third, and has accumulated $3,047,726 in earnings.
Carmouche will make his first appearance aboard Deterministic at Woodbine and will be seeking to maintain the gelding’s remarkable sequence. His rider has highlighted the horse’s composed nature before races and his sharp response once competition begins, qualities that will be tested over the E.P. Taylor course.
Bred in Kentucky by Hinkle Farms, Deterministic was purchased for $625,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The remaining field will include Gas Me Up, Irish Aces, Silius, Itsastormymonday and Pierre. Fraser Aebly will ride Gas Me Up for Kevin Attard, Pietro Moran will partner Irish Aces for Brendan Walsh, John Velazquez will take the mount on Silius for Christophe Ferland, Rafael Hernandez will ride Itsastormymonday for Don MacRae, while Javier Castellano will partner Pierre for David Jacobson.
The Woodbine Mile will also add another chapter to a race with a rich record. Leroidesanimaux won the 1995 renewal by a record 7¾ lengths, while Court Vision captured the race in 2010 before returning to win the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Mile. Ventura became the first female winner in 2009, followed by Tepin in 2016.
Trainer Neil Drysdale holds the record for most Woodbine Mile victories with four, while John Velazquez has ridden five winners of the race. Two of those came aboard Wise Dan, who completed consecutive victories in 2012 and 2013.
The Woodbine Mile will bring together a defending champion, a four-time Grade 1 winner and an improving European contender in an eight-horse field on Saturday, September 12. Notable Speech will seek another major Woodbine success, while Deterministic will attempt to extend his six-race winning sequence and Archivist will make his North American debut following a dominant European campaign.
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