ARCADIA — After coming within a horse length of championship glory in the Breeders’ Cup last year, the trainer and owners of the millionaire miler Johannes had to wonder if a new way of preparing could make the crucial difference this time around.

Like it or not, they’re about to find out.

Five-year-old Johannes goes into the $200,000, Grade II City of Hope Mile at Santa Anita on Saturday needing a sharp effort to prove he’s a threat in the upcoming Breeders’ Cup Mile after his season so far has, to say the least, not gone as planned.

“To me, this race is everything. He has to perform well,” said Joe McCloskey, the Solana Beach resident who with his wife, Debby, bred and owns Johannes. “Breeders’ Cup is five weeks away. He should be there (in Breeders’ Cup-winning form) now.”

At Santa

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