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

As BC day continues on Saturday, the best sprinters in virtual racing will compete for a $2,000.000 purse in the prestigious BC Sprint. This is a race that has seen multiple repeat winners, with Alpha Ultimo doing so in 2005, 2006, and 2008; Shoot Skyhigh in 2009 and 2010, and then Bold Star in 2013 and 2014. That is not something that will happen this time around however, as last year’s winner, West Coast Party, for Martyparty, never really got going this year as a six-year-old. We will see the horse that was the post time favorite last year, Retaliate, have a chance to finish the job this time around after he disappointed last year. Let’s take a look at all of these great sprinters now:

1- Niagra Showdown (Mb Stables, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- A very interesting story, indeed, as when the gelding hit the track for a $32.000 claimer this March, it ended a 26-month layoff. He had been a claimer previously, but after winning that race, prior trainer Jediminds Stable moved him into graded company. Niagra Showdown nearly got it done in the Grade 3 Kona Stakes, but three months later, he was back in a claimer, this time for $35.000. Mb Stables saw there, picked him up, and entered him into the Grade 1 Forego a month later. In that, he was second best and would be within a length of the winner in the Vosburgh as well. Not too shabby for a horse that had two years off, and you have to wonder what might have been if he raced those two years.

2- Quiet Return (Allinthegate, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This will be the third BC race for Quiet Return, and the races that he has been in could not be any more different. In 2022, he not only was in the BC Juvenile Turf, he won the race by two lengths but would be moved to the dirt right after that. As we know, that was definitely the right move, because the horse was highly successful as a three-year-old. He only won one race last year, but when that race is the KYD, not much else will matter. That led him to the BC Classic, and he missed the head bob at the wire from wining that as well, settling for second. The results at the longer distances weren’t to the trainer’s liking afterwards, and he would be cut back to sprints in May. This would lead to winning Nerud and running second in the Crosby. Based on that, he’s a good bet, but consider that he’s stepped it up on BC day twice already. Why wouldn’t he do that again?

3- Neon Delite (John Henry, ridden by F Geroux)- An eventual spring saw him jump around between barns. Claimed in both April and May after races, and then just a week after the second claim, he was sold in private sales, with John Henry paying $100.000, or five times what he had been claimed for, to pick him up. We’ll assume that John Henry was one of the trainers the lost the shake the first time and he decided that he had to have the horse. It certainly worked out for him, as two weeks later, he ran in the Grade 3 Triple Bend Stakes and ran third. That was not his stake debut, but it was his first stake in a year and a half. Got into this race by winning the Grade 2 Phoenix at KEE and was second in the Bold Venture right before that.

4- Chisel (Fractious, ridden by M Franco)- The first of three horses that Fractious will have in the BC Sprint. This is a three-year-old colt who made his debut in February and two months later was running in the Wood Memorial. That race did not go well, and he has not tried to run long since then. Staying at AQU, Chisel then won $150.000 Gold Fever in May, then went upstate to SAR for his next three races. Productive efforts in the Stephens and the Adirondack led to a victory in the Jerkens Memorial Stakes on Travers Day. But then would come the concern. In the Gallant Bob, Chisel only beat two horses, which can certainly be a throw out. However, rivals in here simply do not have the same concern.

5- Everest (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by P Lopez)- His layoff was not as long as the one that Niagra Showdown had, but Everest was also idle for over a year, missing all of 2023 before being entered into a maiden race this January. He won that race and showed his potential in a couple of allowances before running second in the Aristides BC. Two weeks later, previous trainer Lanfranco Stable sold him to Mo Mentum Farm, and Everest has picked up his game even more in his new barn. He would get back-to-back wins, and this included the Grade 1 Vanderbilt Handicap at the Spa in July. Two close calls followed, and with that Everest enters the BC Sprint on good form and looks like one of the better options in here.

6- Crush Rush (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by A Jimenez)- From December 2023 until August of this year, Crush Rush would put together a stretch of eight consecutive races with triple digit SRF’s, and in his final five races of the streak, that speed figure was a 102. There are three wins in that stretch, with two of them occurring at SAR. In June, he would win the Grade 2 True North, and then in August, he would also win the Grade 1 Forego. That streak of the 100+ SRF’s would come to an end last month, but not because he had a bad race. At the Grade 2 Phoenix, he was at the back early, something that is not unprecedented for him, but is not the norm. Came back to finish third there, but the effort was “only” given a 96 SRF. Never runs badly, and that’s not likely to start now.

7- Retaliate (Riggins Racing, ridden by R M Hernandez)- Last year, Retaliate could not have gone into the BC Sprint any better. He would win four in a row, and they were some of the top races out there in this division: the Crosby, the Jerkens Memorial, and the Gallant Bob. This would make him the post time favorite for the race, but he simply never delivered, running midpack, and never getting involved at any point. As a four-year-old, he never got as hot as he had been, but still had a strong year with two wins, including the Grade 2 Triple Bend Stakes at SA. However, this Sunday, he was sold by prior trainer Fractious for $600.000 and will run with Riggins for the first time. Can Retaliate get redemption in the BC Sprint for his performance in it last year?

8- Angel Dust (Rock Creek, ridden by P Husbands)- We saw in the BC Dirt Mile how Rock Creek spent $1,850.000 to acquire to BC runners from Fractious. Well, that was not exclusive to that race, because on Monday, he spent $650.000 to pick this one up from him, putting the total tab up to $2,500.000. And like the BC Dirt Mile, Fractious not only cashes in but still has three runners in the race. From Rock Creek’s perspective, I liked his Dirt Mile purchases but don’t love the price tag he paid for this one. Ran well early in the year, but then struggled in the Eclipse and MTH Cup. Both of those are longer races, and he did rebound by running fourth in the Vosburgh. Speed figures are there, with triple digits in four out of five, and this may work out very well for him. Personally, I don’t think he’s worth as much as Retaliate right now.

9- High Time (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by J Lezcano)- This one has not raced much this year, only making five starts, but he has made them count when he has. Four of them are wins, with another second, so that may make us wish that we did see more of him as a five-year-old. His first three races were wins in ungraded races: the $100.000 Pelican Stakes at TAM, the $275.000 Aristides BC at CD, and then the $250.000 Kellys Landing, also from CD. That success would lead him into the Grade 1 Crosby, and he would add that victory to his record as well. His streak came to an end last time by a very narrow margin at the $300.000 Louisville Thoroughbred. High Time has done what he has been asked to do, and perhaps the lighter schedule played a big role in the more consistent results.

10- Categorical Maybe (Asgar, ridden by D E Centeno)- Like High Time, Categorical Maybe has only made five starts this year, but only has one win. The gelding began the year hot, and it’s a good thing that he did, winning the Grade 3 General George Stakes at LRL, and then being able to hit the board in both the Grade 3 Commonwealth and the Grade 2 True North. If those were his most recent races, then I would like Categorical Maybe to follow that up well. However, that is not the case, and the last two races have been struggles, losing by a combined nine lengths in the Nerud and the Obrien. One race like that I can throw out, but back-to-back ones like that is something that I can’t look past when there are stronger options in here.

11- Dayton (Pan Farms, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Well, my last sentence on Categorical Maybe may very well be my first sentence here. Dayton has done some very good things over his career, and winning the Grade 1 CD in May is one of them. But his last two races have been poor, beating a combined one horse in the Metropolitan Handicap and the Crosby. He has been idle since July, so maybe that rest can help him out. At this point, there is no other way that I can see him getting the win here. He was a BC runner last year, placing fifth in the BC Dirt Mile, but unless he can get back that version of himself that we saw six months ago, it doesn’t seem like he will do that well again.

12- Hurricane Ridge (Fractious, ridden by F Prat)- This three-year-old did not race much in his juvenile season and did not set the virtual world on fire at the start of this year, either. Finishing second in late April in an optional claimer at CD was the turning point for this one, and once hurricane season began, he was off and running at the graded level. He would run three times at SAR and got a win in the Grade 2 Amsterdam with a 100 SRF. Was not as good in the Jerkens Memorial but did not let that stop him last month with a victorious showing at PRX in the Gallant Bob. Have to find a three-year-old that might be peaking at the perfect time to be very appealing.

13- Incinerator (Night Rider Stables, ridden by V Espinoza)- You can count on Night Rider Stables to find some gems in the claiming ranks, and Incinerator has certainly lived up to that reputation for him. It wasn’t a cheap claim, as it did require $50.000, but the trainer had bigger aspirations, hopefully to get him back into running well in stakes like he did way back in 2020. Since the claim, Incinerator has made five starts, all at the stake level, and he won three of them. This includes the $100.000 Thomas Memorial Stakes at SUN, then a bigger win in the Fleet Sprint Handicap (Grade 3) at OP. Last time out, he took the spot again, this in the Grade 3 Vosburgh to make it official that he would be in this race. Figures to be a strong contender again, and I would not worry much about the post.

14- Lennon (Fractious, ridden by T Gaffalione)- Fractious made over $1,200.000 with sales of horses that are in this race, but with Lennon, it took $526.010 to pick him up from Arindel in the June auction. Lennon was hot prior to the sale, riding a four-race winning streak that began in 2023. In March, he would win the Grade 3 Whitmore at OP, but would then be on the shelf for five months. A little more than half of that down time was in anticipation of the auction, and then Fractious did not run him immediately after acquiring. His two races since are not something to call terrible, but they also don’t excite. Needs to rediscover his form from the spring.

Prediction: 6-5-9-12

— NS

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