Antonius Pius — Pat Lillas took Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier's Mile hope to the turf course Friday morning for a canter. The 3yo son of Danzig, when clear and an apparent winner of the Poule d'Eassai des Poulains (French 1,000 Guineas), ducked into the rail and finished fifth.

Magnier's husband, Coolmore boss John Magnier, was at Lone Star Park on Friday and didn't underplay Antonius Pius's quirkiness.

“He's a tricky horse and you have to be brave riding him,” he said. “But there's no pressure on him (jockey Jamie Spencer) because he's 30-1 or something.”

Artie Schiller – Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is not quite sure what to expect in the Mile, but he knows that his 3yo El Prado colt will run his best.

“You have to figure that he might get a little rattled in the paddock with so many people (51,000 expected),” said Jerkens, after jockey Shannon Uske galloped him 1 1/4 miles at Lone Star Park on Friday morning. “But that's true for everybody. We're all in the same boat.

“He's a long-striding horse, and it is possible that he might get a little bottled up out there, breaking from post 6. But he's a solid horse and he's won five of seven starts this year. Everything is the way it should be; now, it's up to him and if we can get lucky.”

Jockey Richard Migliore, who is slated to ride Artie Schiller, took off his mounts at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, N.Y. on Friday afternoon in order to catch a flight to Dallas, where he will compete in the Breeders' Cup.

Migliore escaped serious injury Thursday afternoon, when his mount, Pavlina, unseated him at the gate prior to the start of Aqueduct's fourth race. X-rays were taken on Migliore's right arm and came back negative.

“It was the same arm I broke before, and I landed right on the steel plate, which caused me a lot of pain,” Migliore said Friday morning. “Plus, that filly beat me up pretty good. She got me in the ribs, my jaw; one side of my face is swollen. But all the x-rays were negative. I was going to ride today, but decided I would rest and feel better so I can feel even better tomorrow (Saturday).”

Migliore is 0-for-10 in the Breeders' Cup and Saturday he will try to break the losing streak with Artie Schiller and Bwana Charlie in the Sprint.

“I had a lengthy talk with Jimmy (Jerkens),” Migliore said. “I got hurt once before when I had to ride this horse, and I came back the next day and we won the Woodlawn at Pimlico (May 15, 2004). Jimmy and I know each other very well, and he knows that if I felt I wasn't able to give his horse a decent ride, I would take off the mount. And I know that I couldn't live with myself if I felt that, in any way, I would compromise a horse's chances.”

Blackdoun/Special Ring — “I'm feeling very nervous,” said trainer Julio Canani, a two-time winner of the Mile. “The horses are quiet, but I'm nervous. I don't want to think about the turf course. I hope it's windy and it dries out.”

Both horses galloped on the main track under exercise rider Jose Dominguez.

Prestonwood Farm owner Jack Preston of Houston visited the stable to see Special Ring, a 7yo gelding. “He looks as good as he's ever looked,” said Preston. “I think he will like the configuration. It's sort of like Del Mar, and I'd like to see the same result as the Eddie Read.” (Special Ring won the last two runnings of the Eddie Read Handicap on the Del Mar turf.).

“It means a lot being a Texan now to win one of these races,” said Preston, who has lived in Houston for 24 years. “It would be a great thrill. I've won the Mile twice with Da Hoss (in 1996 and 1998) but those were in Canada and Kentucky.”

Canani, who won the Mile with Silic in 1999 and Val Royal in 2001, and Preston have accounted for victories in four of the last eight runnings of the Mile between them. Canani seeks to become the first trainer to win the race three times.

Diamond Green – The 3yo colt cantered a mile on the main track Friday morning with exercise rider Pascal Bodin aboard.

The French-bred son of Green Desert is trained by Andre Fabre, whose wife, Elisabeth, is on hand to saddle the colt Saturday.

Diamond Green will be looking for his first victory of the season in the Mile. He's run second four times in six starts this year.

Frankie Dettori will be aboard Diamond Green for the first time in Saturday's race.

Domestic Dispute – Trainer Patrick Gallagher, making his first trek to the track following his arrival from Southern California Thursday, expressed enthusiasm for the way his 4yo son of Unbridled's Song is progressing toward Saturday's Mile. He finished his work with a 1 ½ miles gallop over the main track Friday.

“He's doing real good,” the native of Ireland said. “He breezed good over the turf [Monday] and he looks good today. His color's good and he looks healthy.” With the possibility of rain still a threat, Gallagher addressed the matter of the potential for a soft turf course. “I'd prefer, and I think he would prefer, a firm turf course, but there's nothing we can do about it.”

Mr O'Brien — Mr O'Brien jogged and galloped one mile at Lone Star with trainer Robin Graham in the saddle on Friday morning..

The Irish-bred gelding was a winner last out in the Kelso Breeders' Cup Handicap at Belmont with jockey Eibar Coa aboard for the first time. He has the mount again Saturday. The 33-year-old native of Venezuela has competed in the Breeders' Cup only once before, finishing sixth aboard Delaware Township in the 2001 Sprint. Through Oct. 28, he was won 170 races this year.

Mr O'Brien will walk the shedrow on the morning of the race. “He won't go to the track I don't want him to get wound up and silly,” said Graham.

Musical Chimes – Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum's Musical Chimes, one of two fillies who'll tackle colts in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Mile at Lone Star Park, went for a gallop of about 9f Friday morning on the Texas oval in her final major exercise leading up to the turf test.

Exercise rider Debra Biggs handled the daughter of In Excess for trainer Neil Drysdale in the leg stretching accomplished at approximately 9:30.

Running fillies against colts is not a usual occurrence, especially in the United States. But it is certainly not unprecedented. The other filly who'll take on the males in the Mile Saturday is Six Perfections, and she beat all the boys in the same race as a 3yo last year. Additionally, Drysdale is bringing Musical Chimes into the race off a score over males in the Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 9.

The trainer, a member of racing's Hall of Fame, was asked what was the determining factor in running a female against male foes.

“What you really want to have is a good horse,” the conditioner deadpanned. “If you've got a horse that's better than the others, it helps quite a bit.”

Musical Chimes will break from post No. 9 in the 14-horse field for the Mile. She'll have regular rider Kent Desormeaux, also a Hall of Famer, attached.

Nothing to Lose – Ken and Sarah Ramsey's good-looking 4yo Nothing to Lose went trackside Friday just after 7 a.m. The homebred Sky Classic colt, a lukewarm 7-2 favorite in the Breeders' Cup Mile field of 14, had exercise rider Humberto Gomez up and Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel looking on as he completed his final serious leg-stretching prior to Saturday.

Gomez backtracked Nothing to Lose from the 6f gap to the eighth pole on the one-mile oval, then turned him back, shifted him to the middle of the track and put him through a strong gallop of 1 ½ miles. As the rider came back off following the exercise, he gave the trainer a positive nod. His horse had accomplished his move in fine style and all concerned could tell it.

Later in the morning, back at the Frankel barn, the Ramseys, along with a contingent of friends, paid a visit. The trainer assured them that their horse had done well earlier and that he expected him to do well Saturday.

“I'll put him on the track for a short jog tomorrow morning,” Frankel said. “He's all ready to go.”

Silver Tree – A 12-1 shot on the Mile morning line, Silver Tree arrived at Lone Star Park from Louisville via a flight from Lexington about noon Thursday and got his first look at the oval Friday morning.

With assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy aboard, Silver Tree jogged 3f and then galloped a mile.

Asked how he thought the race would shape up, McCarthy said, “I imagine there will be a pretty good pace, and that should allow him to lay close without him having to do too much.”

McCarthy noted that Silver Tree beat 7-2 early favorite Nothing to Lose in the Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga and then finished second to him in the Fourstardave Handicap at the same track. Silver Tree then was third behind Nothing to Lose in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last time out.

Silver Tree was scheduled to get “a little look” at the paddock later Friday.

“He's run so much it's no big deal, but you'd hate to take him over on race day and be nervous because you didn't take him over before,” McCarthy said.

Singletary — Taking a cue from the Boston Red Sox's dramatic and emotional World Series victory, Little Red Feather Racing majority owner Billy Koch wore a Singletary T-shirt Friday with the words, “Why Not Us?”

Why not, indeed? The 15-to-1 shot in the morning line in a wide-open 14-horse field galloped on the turf Friday with exercise rider David Meah. “He takes hold of the track very well,” said Meah. “He's enjoying it here.”

Seemingly as pumped up as namesake linebacker Mike Singletary for the Super Bowl, the 4yo colt aggressively attacked the feed tub brought to him by groom Jose Garcia and tried to bite trainer Don Chatlos Jr., and Koch.

Koch hopes the 4yo colt will behave like more of a gentleman Saturday. “He breaks between the two girls,” said Koch, noting he will be surrounded in post 10 by fillies Musical Chimes and defending champion Six Perfections.

Six Perfections – Last year's Mile winner had a busy morning Friday as she breezed 3f on the turf course and then took a walking tour of the Lone Star stable area.

Trainer Pascal Bary supervised the activity as the 4yo daughter of Celtic Swing was timed in a leisurely 43 seconds for the three-eighths breeze with exercise rider Pascal Ledru aboard. She cooled out with a walk between barns on her way back to the quarantine area.

Last year, Six Perfections came into the Breeders' Cup off a victory in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. This year, she's winless in three starts, and was second to Whipper (another Mile starter) in the Deauville race.

“She's had nearly the same preparation as last year,” said Alan Cooper, the racing manager for the Niarchos family, which owns the filly. “The difference is that last year, she was being trained for the classics, and started her season in April. This season she was not started until the end of May.

“Physically, I think she's stronger than she was last year,” Cooper said, “and mentally she's in very good shape. She ran a very good race against Whipper, and she's in very good form.”

Jerry Bailey, who rode Six Perfections to victory last year, has the mount again as the filly bids to become the fourth dual winner of the Mile.

Soaring Free – The Sam-Son Farm 5yo stretched his legs with a 1 ¼-miles gallop on the main track Friday morning.

The son of Smart Strike, trained by Mark Frostad, comes into Saturday's Mile off five straight victories, including the Atto Mile at Woodbine last out on Sept. 19.

“He's a very streaky horse, but in a good way,” Frostad said. “Last year he won five in a row before he was second in the Atto Mile.”

Frostad booked Todd Kabel, Soaring Free's regular rider this year, for the Breeders' Cup mount. In last year's Mile at Santa Anita, John Velazquez was aboard when Soaring Free finished fifth.

“Todd's been doing a great job with him,” Frostad said, “and he's staying with the horse.”

This will be Kabel's sixth Breeders' Cup mount and first since 1998, when he finished eighth aboard Kirby's Song in the Distaff. His best finish was a second aboard Dawson's Legacy in the 1997 Juvenile.

Whipper — Trainer Robert Collet sent out Last Tycoon to win the 1986 Mile and pay $73.80. He has had only two Breeders' Cup runners, both unplaced in 1994, in the intervening years. The Frenchman is back with Whipper, who went to the track at 8:30 Friday morning to canter on the dirt under Julien Auge.

“He is very well and is proven on soft ground,” Collet said. “He can get sweaty at the start, but it doesn't bother him. He should run well.”