Strengths: The connections hoped they had a Classic horse on their hands, but the institution of the new Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile may be just what the doctor ordered for this guy. He's a proven 9-furlong horse, but 10 furlongs may be beyond his scope, particularly when he's asked to face top-class competition. The most impressive of his three graded stakes wins may have been the G1 Metropolitan Handicap (Met Mile) at Belmont in May. Run over a one-turn mile, he defeated Lawyer Ron, one of this year's top Classic contenders. He's a very capable horse who appears fresh and ready to fire in the Dirt Mile.

Weaknesses: He followed up his career-topping win in the Met Mile with a dull sixth-place effort as the chalk in the G1 Suburban. Given two months off, he returned to finish an even fourth behind Lawyer Ron in the Woodward. Based on his two most recent efforts, one may surmise that he's going the wrong way.

In the Genes: His sire, Pulpit, won four times from just six career starts, and he counts the G1 Blue Grass amongst his victories. He's the 15th leading sire of '07, and his Pyro is a major contender for this year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Corinthian's dam, Multiply, was unraced, but she counts the graded stakes-winning Desert Hero amongst her offspring.

Status: After a resounding win in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Corinthian was retired. He will stand for $40,000 in his first year at stud at Gainesway Farm, near Lexington, Ky.

Bet You Didn't Know: Trainer Jimmy Jerkens' only previous Breeders' Cup starter is Artie Schiller. Twelfth in the Breeders' Cup Mile in '04, he returned the following year to win that same race.