BC Sprint – Grade I

6 Furlongs Dirt Stake Purse $2,000.000 Open 3 Year Olds And Up.

1st        Sweet Sweet Sweet       Night Rider Stables         Castellano J J

The trainer had a great Breeders Cup and will be thrilled with this five year olds win here. Not many horses came from ninth at the first call this BC but in keeping with the historical record of this race it seems that the BC Sprint is a good race to come from behind. The draw certainly helped him early in the race as he didn’t get too far back and as the runners swung wide to make their challenges this one found a nice path through to get up by a half length.
This is a great story as after being bred by the owner back in 2018 he was claimed for just five dollars when taking a claimer at LAD in that same year. He again got claimed for five dollars in 2020 and was then claimed again two races later for only $4.For the third time in a year he was once again claimed this time for twenty dollars by the man that bred him and since then has never looked back. Now at his peak at five i guess you can safely say he is a late bloomer.

2nd     Duke King           Mental Bloch Racing          Saez L

The trainer had a bit of a panic and a quick lesson in shipping and meters before the off but will be thrilled at how well this one ran. I don’t think there is any other trainer that after just 54 races and six wins in a very short career could boast a half length second in a BC race so this must’ve been a great thrill especially when you consider that they bought the horse at age six with just two wins to his name for just $8. It is crazy to think he was winning a cheap optional claimer at ALB just two races ago and now here he is on the biggest stage ad taking home a huge pay check for his owner.
He too came from off the pace and battled really well, a rags to riches story that i am thrilled to be able to report.


3rd        Expert Eye         TwinTowersRacing        Davis D

I was very pleased to see this five year old make the top three as no trainer deserves success more than this one. Drawn horribly the Crosby winner had to make his own luck and was beaten less than a length in the end after covering much more than that in extra ground. A son of Commanding he was bought way back in 2019 after a whole raft of people had tried to do what TwinTowers has done with him.


4th      Night Creature      D J C Racing Stables       Espinoza V

The first four all challenged from a similar position and this one came out fourth best just a length off the winner. He has been a shade inconsistent this year but has consistently run in top company over a variety of distances so that is not to be unexpected. This run is up there with his best effort in the Forego . Bred by Aer Stables the current owner bought him for $300 more than the first three’s combined cost but he has more than paid that back in a very good career to date.

SUMMARY

This race played out very much to the historical map of the race with the first four coming from off the pace and the early leaders fading. Grande Geek was that early leader but the first fraction was pretty fast and that put paid to his chances, he did pretty well considering though to end up sixth beaten just over a length.
Congratulations to all the purse winners and commiserations to the losers.

Categories: BC 2021-2023, Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, THE BREEDERS CUP