A year ago, Johannes was rated as the undisputed leading turf miler in California when he won the Grade 2 City of Hope Mile for his fourth consecutive stakes win.
On Saturday, Johannes needs a win in the $200,000 City of Hope Mile to record his first stakes win of an abbreviated 2025 campaign and gain a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Last November, Johannes was a brave second to More Than Looks in the BC Mile, his only loss of a six-race season, all in stakes. In January, Johannes was diagnosed with bone bruising, an injury that left him sidelined until the summer, when he finished ninth of 10 as the 8-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Stakes on Aug. 2 at Saratoga, his lone start this year.
“You would have loved to have had a strong race with your first race back,” trainer Tim Yakteen said. “You have to deal with it and move on.”
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Johannes was held out of the Grade 2 Del Mar Mile on Aug. 30, a race won by current division leader Formidable Man, another local contender for the BC Mile.
Last year, Johannes won the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar in July and did not race again until the City of Hope Mile in late September, a race he won by 1 1/4 lengths. Yakteen is following the same timeline this year, with the expectation that Johannes will rebound from the recent loss on a friendly Santa Anita turf course. Johannes is unbeaten in seven starts on the surface, including the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in May 2024.
In Saturday’s race, Johannes will be a heavy favorite in a field of six that includes Almendares and Cabo Spirit, who were second and third in the Del Mar Mile.
Cabo Spirit set the pace in that Grade 2 race before fading to finish third. He is not reliant on that style, however. In the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in May, Cabo Spirit stalked the pace, led in the stretch, and finished second by a neck to King of Gosford. With the speedy Final Boss in Saturday’s race, Cabo Spirit may be most effective with a more patient trip.
Almendares poses a threat to Johannes. Trained by Phil D’Amato, Almendares had an outstanding summer at Del Mar, winning the first stakes of his career in the restricted Wickerr Stakes at a mile on turf. He was beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the Del Mar Mile.
Almendares won two allowance races in 2023 as a 3-year-old but was winless in five starts last year, the last of which was a second in the City of Hope Mile. Almendares was fourth by three-quarters of a length behind Formidable Man in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita and did not race again for more than four months until the Wickerr.
D’Amato credits maturity for the improvement from Almendares.
“I think he’s older and more consistent,” he said. “We’ve learned how to train him and space his races right. That’s key. He puts a lot into his races. He’s good for six or seven races a year, and we have to plan accordingly.”
There are high hopes that Almendares can run well enough on Saturday to merit a start in the BC Mile.
“If he can run 1-2, we’ll try to take a swing at the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” D’Amato said. “He’s shown his consistency in the last couple of races and he’s put in good efforts. My horse couldn’t be doing any better.”
It is easy to envision Almendares and Johannes closing as a pair through the last half-mile. Johannes, who races for Joe and Debby McCloskey, often races as a stalker. Umberto Rispoli, who has been aboard for all eight of the horse’s wins, has the mount.
“One of his assets is that he can stay where Umberto wants to put him,” Yakteen said. “He’s trained exceptionally well. I think it all sets us up well for the Breeders’ Cup. We should see a strong effort from him.”
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