With perhaps America’s best turf filly out of the 1984 Breeders’ Cup Mile, the race could still have been billed as a filly against the colts as Robert Sangster’s Royal Heroine, a winner three of the four times that she faced colts (her only loss was to John Henry in the Arlington Million) was not only trying them again but she was also favored to make it four out of five.  The four-year-old had spent the first half of her career racing in England and France and had run at such fabled courses as Newmarket, Doncaster, Epsom Downs, York, Newby, and Longchamp.  Royal Heroine made her first start in America in the Yellow Ribbon at Santa Anita on November 6, 1983, and it was a disaster as she finished a lackluster seventh at 40-1 to Sanque, an Irish-bred multiple stakes winner.  Two weeks later, she was out again, this time taking the G1 Hollywood Derby by three parts of a length over Interco, a multiple graded stakes winner that would defeat John Henry in the San Luis Rey in March.

In Royal Heroine’s next race, the ill-fated Santa Ana Handicap on March 18 at Santa Anita, two fillies lost their lives.  The tragic accident happened when the field in the nine-furlong race moved into the clubhouse turn and the fillies, Sweet Diane and High Haven, both went down with what would be fatal injuries.  Royal Heroine, who was directly behind them, reacted quickly and, on her own, made the decision to jump over them.  However, when she landed she was off balance and also fell, throwing her jockey, Fernando Toro, heavily into the hard turf.

Toro, who suffered face lacerations and body contusions, later praised the filly, saying that she saved his life by jumping those fillies.

Royal Heroine would not race again for three months, and when she returned, she won two stakes in a row, the G3 Inglewood Handicap in which she ran the 8.5 furlongs in 1:40 1/5, just two ticks off the Hollywood Park track record, and the nine-furlong Beverly Hills Handicap in 1:47 1/5 by two-lengths over Adored.  Next out, she finished first in the one-mile Palomar Handicap but was disqualified and placed third.  She then finished second in the Arlington Million to John Henry and was second to Flag de Lune in the G1 Ramona Handicap in September.  Coupled with Prego, an Irish import that had won the group three Hungerford Stakes at Newby in August, the entry was sent off as the Turf Mile 8-5 favorite.

As good as Royal Heroine had been that year, she wasn’t considered a standout and there were several others that were given a legitimate chance to pull off an upset.  Cozzene, the second favorite at 7-2 and a colt that would win the Turf Mile the following year, was coming into the race off a track record-tying 1:33 at Belmont Park in a one-mile allowance on turf.  In the race preceding that, the grey colt had tied the 8.5-furlong track record at the Meadowlands when he won a division of the Cliff Hanger Handicap in 1:40 2/5; and he set a new track record at Monmouth Park in June in his first career start on turf when he won an 8.5-furlong allowance race in 1:41, bettering the old mark by one and one-fifth seconds.

Others that were a threat included Lear Fan (5-1), a Kentucky-bred three-year-old by Roberto that had won five of seven lifetime starts in England and France, including a four-length score in the group one Prix Jacques Le Marois over Palace Music, a multiple stake winner who would eventually sire the great Cigar.  Lear Fan also won the group three Craven Stakes at Newmarket by a nose over Rainbow Quest (a colt that would win the 1985 Arc de la Triomphe).

Another that was a major threat, having won five stakes in 1984, was Tights (6-1), a three-year-old son of Nijinsky who was ridden by Chris McCarron.  The first two of those stakes were on dirt, the Santa Catalina at Santa Anita over future G1 winner Prince True and the Preakness winner Gate Dancer, and the G2 Silver Screen over M Double M and Precisionist.  Switching to turf, Tights showed his versatility when he won the Spotlight Handicap, the G3 La Jolla Mile, and the G3 Volante Handicap.

Night Mover (6-1) had not won a stake on turf though he did win a five-furlong allowance at Hollywood Park in 56 2/5seconds, and in his most recent outing, was second to Tsunami Slew in the six and-one-half Morvich Handicap, racing off the hill at Santa Anita and just missing by a nose after making a big move from the back of the pack.

American owned Tsunami Slew was a capable but inconsistent colt that, on his best days, was good enough to win this race.  Besides his nose victory over Night Mover in the Morvich, he also won the G2 Delmar Derby by three lengths over Prince Tue, the G3 Will Rogers when he equaled the 8.5-furlong track record at Hollywood Park in 1:39 4/5, and the nine-furlong Bradbury Stakes at Santa Anita on dirt in 1:48 3/5.

Rounding out the field of ten were three longshots, Tonzarun (45-1), who won the twelve-furlong Pan American Handicap at Gulfstream Park in April; Smart and Sharp, a son of Champagne Charlie who won two minor stakes including a last-out victory in the Mark’s Place Handicap at Bay Meadows; and Star Choice (69-1), a five-year-old son of In Reality that had won on turf, but was coming into the race off a one-length victory in the nine-furlong Fayette Stakes at Keeneland in which his time of 1:47 2/5 equaled the dirt track record set by Numbered Account in 1972.