Post Time ran some races this summer at Saratoga that have earned him a trip to Del Mar for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 2. He was second in the Metropolitan Handicap in June and third in the Whitney in August. “He showed up in both of those Grade 1s,” said Brittany Russell, who trains Post Time. “He ran really hard. I think he’s earned his way to try it. “He’ll ship the week before, so hopefully we can get some kind of work in over the track out west. The plan is to just kind of keep him happy and ticking along and get him on a plane to California.” Post Time, who will fly out of Newark, N.J., has made one start since Saratoga, winning the Polynesian at Laurel Park by 11 1/4 lengths on Sept. 14. The one-turn mile at home in Maryland was an appealing final prep for different reasons, Russell said. “Ellen Charles, his owner, she’s Maryland strong through and through,” Russell said. “And I just felt like we threw him a couple really tough ones. He did a lot of traveling. He showed up and he handled himself well, but from a mental standpoint with this horse, I kind of just wanted to get a win into him. “Sometimes, I think mentally for a horse it’s good to give them an easy race. From a physical standpoint, I certainly hope it was enough. He came out of it in really good shape.” :: ON SALE NOW: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages! Get everything you need to win and save 41% off the retail price. Post Time will be the first Breeders’ Cup starter for Russell, a 35-year-old who was Maryland’s leading trainer by wins in 2023. But it’s not her first time to be part of the world championships. “I traveled out to Santa Anita with a couple of Breeders’ Cup runners when I worked for Brad Cox – some of his first Breeders’ Cup runners, actually,” she said. “Carve was his first Breeders’ Cup starter, and he was in the Dirt Mile. It was a good experience as an assistant. I think we have a pretty cool horse to take out there. He’s going to have to step up.” Post Time’s only two-turn start came in the Whitney. He will race at two turns again in the Dirt Mile. “His two-turn race, it was a very tough test and I think he ran well,” Russell said. “I think he needed that. “All the pieces of the puzzle are going to have to come together on the right day. I realize that. But he’s the type of horse that just shows up wherever we place him, and I think that’s a big part.” Post Time is a winner of 9 of 13 starts for earnings of $997,910. The most significant of his six career stakes wins have come this year, in the Grade 2 Carter at seven furlongs at Aqueduct and the Grade 3 General George at the same distance at Laurel. :: BREEDERS’ CUP DIRT MILE: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more Post Time ranks as one of the best horses trained by Russell, who previously had been known for her work with Hello Beautiful, an eight-time stakes winner from 2019-21. “Hello Beautiful was kind of the one who got me up and got me going,” she said. “She was just amazing. This horse here, honestly, if it wasn’t for Hello Beautiful I probably wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity of Post Time. Ellen Charles was involved with Hello Beautiful. She bred her.” Russell ventured into racing on her own and in 2018 married jockey Sheldon Russell, who will be aboard Post Time in the Breeders’ Cup. The horse is listed at 12-1 on Daily Racing Form’s early Dirt Mile line set by Brad Free. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.