Dakota Phone up at wire in Dirt Mile

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Dakota Phone led at only one point in Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, but it came at the stage that it mattered -- right on the wire.

Far off a hotly contested pace early, he rallied resolutely down the middle of the track to catch a speedy but fatigued Morning Line by a head. Gayego was third, followed by Cool Coal Man in fourth

Favorites Here Comes Ben and Tizway weakened in the stretch and were unplaced.

Mine That Bird ran 10th, his ninth straight defeat since winning the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

Dakota Phone, a 5-year-old gelded son of Zavata owned by Halo Farms and ridden by Joel Rosario, lit up the toteboard at odds of 37-1, returning $77.40. He raced a mile in a swift 1:35.29, buoyed by quick fractions of 44.94 seconds and 1:09.44.

"The reason why we went in this race was we were hoping for a blistering pace up front," trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. "He got fortunate and got to the outside and ran 'em down late."

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