Ten Things You Should Know: Shoemaker Mile

1) The Shoemaker Mile is a race for 3-year-olds and up run at one mile over the turf course at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California. The winner of this year's edition earns an entry into this year's Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park in November.

2) Run for the first time in 1938, its original name, the Premier Handicap, was an homage to the Hollywood film industry. The name of the race was changed in 1991 to honor Hall of Fame Jockey Willie Shoemaker who won the Premier six times over five decades.

3) Up until 1984, the race was run over the dirt and, for most of its history, it was a sprint race at 6-furlongs. It has been a one-mile turf race since 1988.

4) The Shoemaker was a graded stakes in 1973 and 1974 but was not graded from 1975 to 1986. It has been run under a graded condition since 1987 and has been a Grade 1 since 2007.

5) Silic is the only winner of the Shoemaker Mile to win the Breeders' Cup Mile. He won both in 1999. Silic also won his second Shoemaker the following year. Singletary (2004) and Steinlen (1989) finished second in the Shoemaker in the same year they won the BC Mile.

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