GII — The BEL Sprint Championship

$350.000 Graded Stake at 7 Furlongs on the Dirt for Three Year Olds & Up

Twelve horses will enter the gate Saturday afternoon at BEL with the hopes of stamping their ticket to DMR and the BC Sprint in November. The race will feature a little bit of everything with sprinters, routers, turf to dirt, $2000.000 winners down to $100.000. Lets take a look at the field.

1- Oh Awesome One (Trained by John Henry, Ridden by Stevens G L)

Starting from the rail will be Oh Awesome One. This five year old comes into the race struggling so far in 2017, going o for 4 in his races so far this year. Jockey G Stevens will hope to use the same strategy as they used in his most recent start by sitting three to four lengths off the lead and make a move down the stretch. Being on the rail may create traffic trouble for this one.

2- Edwin Drood (Trained by Sanny Village, Ridden by Acosta J D)

With over $2000.000 in career earnings Edwin Drood is the most decorated runner in the field. The four year old gelding comes into the race off a win in the GI CT Classic. The race before was the GI Malibu, a seven furlong race, where he came up a little short, finishing a closing third. His ideal distance is a bit longer then this race but based on sheer talent can never be counted out.

3- Silver Dancer (Trained by Night Rider Stables, Ridden by Maragh R)

Probably the hottest horse around right now is Silver Dancer. He comes into the race on a two race win street, both very impressive wins in the GI Met and GIII Westchester. Both those races were run at a mile so he will be cutting back in distance a bit but based on past performances should still be just fine at the seven furlong distance.

4- Not Perfect (Trained by Kopites, Ridden by Bejarano R)

Not Perfect is a three year old gelding looking to turn around his 2017 campaign. This year has been a struggle so far going 0 for 3 all very disappointing finishes. With a big and deep field for the BEL Sprint their is not a lot of hope for Not Perfect in this one. He has not been within five lengths of the winner yet this year and he will likely be even further back in this one when it’s all said and done.

5- Snowmizer (Trained by D J C Racing Stables, Ridden by Moran D)

Another that has had its struggles in recent times but was able to get himself back on track in his most recent start, the ON bred Steady Growth with a two length victory. His works have always shown he could have a second gear we haven’t really seen yet in the afternoon so it is always hard to know what to expect from him.

6- Sonar (Trained by Mb Stables, Ridden by Velazquez J R)

The first of back to back Mb Stable entries is Sonar. This three year old by Red Echo will break from post six and hope to get up into the lead pack early on. His works suggest he is still improving with every start. He seems to do his best running when going the 6-7 furlong distances so this should be right up his alley. The talent in the field will be tough for him to overcome but has a long shot chance.

7- Give Your All (Trained by Mb Stables, Ridden by Albarado R J)

The second Mb Stable entry is Give Your All. This four year old looks to give the connections their best shot at a victory. He has had a bit of an up and down season thus far but no matter what typically isn’t far off the winner when it doesn’t go his way. The seven furlong distance suits him just fine and if he can stay a few lengths off the early lead will have a shot at running them down in the stretch.

8- Tokyo Secret (Trained by Tiratzo, Ridden by Pennington F)

A three race win streak is always nice to have coming into a race which is what Tokyo Secret comes into the race with. He most recently won two straight on the turf at seven furlongs and will switch back to the dirt where he also won his most recent race at seven furlongs. He may favor turf over dirt and expect him to finish mid pack.

9- Norwegian Moon (Trained by Allinthegate, Ridden by Ortiz I Jr)

Tokyo Secret isn’t the only horse coming into the race on a three race win streak. Norwegian Moon does as well, all his being on the dirt. His most recent win was his first venture into stakes company and he did not disappoint with a two length victory. He has yet to go as far as 7 furlongs in his career but based on how he has been racing and working in the morning he will like the added distance. This one is one to watch as the year moves along and could be a nice long shot pick in here.

10- Sea Bird 11 (Trained by Blushing Meadows, Ridden by Leparoux J R)

Another one in the field that is a bit hard to get a gauge on what to expect as he is dropping down to a sprint race after a long period of time running in route races. in January he did run in the seven furlong Pasco Stakes where he was able to run a solid third place finish. He has only been out of the money in one of five races so far in 2017.

11- The Force Awakens (Trained by Diablo Diablo, Ridden by Baze T C)

A seven furlong race will be a big cut back in distance for The Force Awakens after running his last race in the mile and a half BEL. He has not run in a sprint race since last August. Because of that not totally sure what to expect from this horse as he obviously has some talent but has not run this distance in so long it will be interesting to see how he handles the distance.

12- Oversell It (Trained by Jader Stable, Ridden by Ortiz J L)

The connections for Oversell It would not be disappointed at all if it rained Saturday morning as he had an impressive win over the slop back in May in the GII CD. His most recent start was a closing ninth place finish at six furlongs. He looks much more comfortable going seven, if he can drop back and get a decent trip as he makes his way through the field he has a legit shot.

AE- Moriches Bay (Trained by TwinTowersRacing)

My Selections: 3/2/12

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES