Miesque's Approval Rates Nod in Sea o'Erin

(from Arlington report)
Live Oak Plantation's Miesque's Approval, runner-up in the Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland in April, will be the staring high weight at 118 pounds when he faces seven rivals in the $150,000 Sea o'Erin Breeders' Cup Mile on turf Sunday at Arlington Park.

The Father's Day headliner includes $50,000 from the Breeders' Cup Fund for horses eligible to the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Miesque's Approval has not started since being beaten by 1 1/4 length by Royal Spy in the Keeneland contest. In his only other start this year, the 4-year-old son of Miesque's Son finished second to Political Attack in the Canadian Turf Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park in March. As a 3-year-old, Miesque's Approval captured the Kent Breeders' Cup Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Delaware Park and the restricted Bonnie Heath Turf Cup at Calder Race Course.

Rene Douglas, who won seven turf stakes races here in 2002, has the mount aboard the high weight, who will spot his rivals from two to six pounds.

Al's Dearly Bred and Holy Conflict ran one-two in the Mister Gus Stakes at Arlington on Memorial Day. The former, a Waquoit gelding, was making his first start of the year in the Mister Gus. The Hugh Robertson-trained 6-year-old previously captured the Golden Pheasant Handicap over this course last September.

Holy Conflict, by Lord At War, finished only a head behind Al's Dearly Bred in the Mister Gus. The Gene Cilio trainee won allowance race at the Fair Grounds in March and ran third in an allowance event at Keeneland in April.

Package Store invades from Kentucky in search of his second straight victory this year and third straight overall. The Walter Bindner Jr.-trained son of Mister Baileys closed out his 4-year-old campaign with a half-length score in a second-level allowance race at Belmont Park in September and kicked off his current season with a 1 1/2-length tally in a third-level allowance race at Keeneland.

$150,000 Se O'Erin Breeders' Cup Mile, 3 & up, 1 mile on turf
PP. Horse, Jockey, Wgt., ML Odds
1. Miesque's Approval (FL), Rene R. Douglas, 118, 7/5
2. Captain Nicholas (NY), Frank Lovato, Jr., 112, 20/1
3. Al's Dearly Bred (KY), Seth B. Martinez, 115, 6/1
4. Rock Slide (KY), Robby Albarado, 116, 2/1
5. Man o' Rhythm (OK), Carlos H. Marquez, Jr., 113, 15/1
6. Holy Conflict (KY), Eusebio Razo, Jr., 116, 8/1
7. Attack the Books (FL), Shane Laviolette, 113, 30/1
8. Package Store (KY), Curt C. Bourque, 114, 5/1