BC Sprint (Grade 1)- $2,000.000 Purse
DMR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
Six Furlongs on the Dirt
November 2, 2024

In a race like the BC Sprint, where the entire field is exceptionally talented, all it can take is one subpar race to get lost in the shuffle of the competition. For Chisel, that appears to have been what happened, as bettors had come concerns over his start coming into the race, the Gallant Bob. Chisel would go off at odds of 18/1, and he would remind everyone of how good he was at SAR over the summer. It was a very close finish, but at the wire, he would prevail over our pick to win, Crush Rush, as well Quiet Return. Chisel is trained by Fractious, who wins the BC Sprint for the second time. His previous winner was Con Artist in 2019. Aboard the winner was M Franco, who also wins for the second time, though his previous win came in 2020. Congratulations go out to them! The time of the race was 1:08.67, which is the quickest of the three editions of the race held here at DMR. Let’s take a look at it:

(1/4 Mile- :21.99)- The field breaks from the gate and heads down the backstretch with Incinerator getting the upper hand from the outside for Night Rider Stables. He’ll have company up front, as Maxmillion Farm’s Crush Rush is right alongside him, and also at the head of the pack is Mo Mentum Farm’s Everest. Right behind with, a group of four will stalk the leaders, and on the outside Lennon, trained by Fractious, is fourth and has the ability to join the top three right here if he so desired. He’s got a couple of friends right along with him, as both of his stablemates, including the eventual winner, Chisel, are stalking the leaders, as is their friend Hurricane Ridge. Running with the Fractious horses here, and on the rail, is Allinthegate’s Quiet Return. As for Chisel, he was in the third lane, and essentially right behind Incinerator at this point. Neon Delite runs within a length of this group for John Henry, and it’s a length to a one-time Fractious runner, Retaliate, who now does his running for Riggins Racing. Dayton, from Pan Farms is with him, as he hopes to reverse a recent tough run of form. It’s another length to Niagra Showdown (Mb Stables), with the trailers being High Time (Maxmillion Farm), Public Information (D J C Racing Stables), who had gotten in from the also eligibles with the scratch of Categorical Maybe, and another of the recent Fractious runners, Angel Dust (Rock Creek).

(½ Mile- :44.81, Top of Stretch, 1.5F To Go)- Crush Rush would take the lead towards the end of the backstretch and would hold onto it as they moved around the turn. Within the turn, he was looking pretty good and would only creep away from both Incinerator and Everest. At the top of the stretch, he led by a length, while those two were second and third. Lennon’s wide trip continued around the turn, but he was holding his own in the fourth position, as Chisel and Quiet Return ran evenly for the fifth spot. Chisel would have room to come through between horses in the stretch. These top six were threatening to pull away from the rest of the field, as Hurricane Ridge was dropping much, and neither Retaliate or Neon Delite were making additional progress. Niagra Showdown was the best of the rest and potentially had room to make a run on the rail. The rest, including post time favorite High Time, as well as Angel Dust, Public Information, and Dayton had a lot of work to do if it was going to be their day.

(Finish- 1:08.67)- Crush Rush seemed to be in good shape for much of the stretch run. Even with a furlong to go, there did not seem to be anyone gaining on him quickly enough. Then, in the final half furlong, he begins to drift over and over to the outside, and this provides more than enough room for multiple challengers, including the likes of Chisel and Quiet Return. Still, even as we got closer to the wire, it still seemed like Crush Rush was going to hang on. Chisel was not going to concede the race, and M Franco did all he could in a last second surge to the front. Quiet Return was doing similar, and we would have a three-way photo at the wire. In the end, it would be Chisel getting the head bob on Crush Rush, with Quiet Return settling for third. Incinerator held on for fourth on the outside, and it was length to a group of four that were very close to one another: Niagra Showdown, Everest, Retaliate, and Lennon. The rest of the running order will read Public Information, High Time, Neon Delite, Hurricane Ridge, Angel Dust, and Dayton.

About The Winner- Chisel, trained by Fractious and ridden to victory by M Franco, is a three-year-old colt by Neon Wolf and is out of Rock Onn. He was bred by Night Mare Racing as a fourth quarter two-year-old in New York and was acquired by Fractious for $100.000 in a December 2023 private sale while he was still unraced. The win is his fourth in nine starts, third stake win and second graded win. His career earnings are now $1,686.800.

Track: Fast
Time: :21⁴  :44⁴  :56³  1:08³

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 4 – 6 Paid 116.50
$1 Trifecta: 4 – 6 – 2 Paid 825.70

Scratched: Got Milk, Inviting, So Slick, Categorical Maybe

— NS

Categories: BC 2024, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP