BC – Sprint
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
Distance: 6 furlongs
Purse: $2 million
Age: 3up
Date: Saturday, November 3
Time: 2:46 p.m. ET
The History
Dayjur was home free in 1990 before famously jumping a shadow at Belmont Park and allowing Safely Kept to become one of three fillies to win this. Thirty Slews won the 1992 running, introducing the world to a then unknown trainer by the name of Bob Baffert. Kona Gold ran in the Sprint five times, grabbing the brass ring just once in 2000. Midnight Lute won back to back races in 2007 and 2008, while 2011 Juvenile Sprint winner Secret Circle won the 2013 renewal with just one prep in over 18 months. In 2016, Drefong gave Baffert five wins to in the event.
Favorites: 8 for 34 (24%)
Shortest: $4.60 (Ellio, 1984)
Highest: $54.60 (Sheikh Albadou, 1991)
The champ is here? Roy H is back as is runner-up Imperial Hint.
The Best
Defending champion Roy H comes into this year’s renewal on a similar form cycle for trainer Peter Miller, who will also saddle defending Turf Sprint champ Stormy Liberal in that event earlier on the Saturday card.
Like last season, Roy H finished second in the G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar behind the retired Ransom the Moon before easily taking the G1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship over a small, overmatched bunch.
Roy H started this campaign with an easy tally in the G2 Palos Verde before finishing third in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen in a blanket finish on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan.
Since missing by a length in this last year, Imperial Hint has become a two-time G1 winner and will likely go off as the favorite for Luis Carvajal, Jr.
A twelve-time winner from 18 starts, Imperial Hint has won four of five starts this season, with wins coming in a Florida-bred stakes to start the year at Tampa Bay, the G2 True North during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and in the aforementioned G1 events, the Vanderbilt at Saratoga and Vosburgh at Belmont.
In the Vosburgh, Imperial Hint ran like a 1-5 shot should, taking command from the start before being geared down in the final furlong while stopping the clock in 1:08 1/5 for six furlongs. It’s worth noting that two of his four lifetime off-the-board finishes have come over the Churchill strip.
Promises Fulfilled has arguably become one of the toughest one-turn runners in the land this season for trainer Dale Romans.
At the beginning of the season, Romans was hoping he had a Kentucky Derby contender on his hands, especially after his gate-to-wire score in the G2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream at 1 1/16 miles.Despite getting dueled into defeat in the G1 Florida Derby, Promises Fulfilled participated in the Run for the Roses and finished far back. In fact, he was beaten a combined 75 lengths in these two starts.
Since turning back to sprints, however, he’s done Promises Fulfilled has done little wrong. He dueled through wicked early fractions, including a :43 3/5 half-mile, before tiring to third in the G2 Woody Stephens on the Belmont Stakes undercard then broke off three straight wins in the G3 Amsterdam and G1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga and most recently in the G2 Phoenix at Keeneland, his first start against older horses.
The Rest
Limousine Liberal is searching for the first G1 win of his 25-race career and will do so over what is undoubtedly his favorite surface as he has won six of his eight tries beneath the twin spires of Churchill Downs. This season, he won the G2 Churchill Downs on Derby Day for the second consecutive year and G2 Belmont Sprint Championship from six starts while hitting the board in his other four tries. He had a nightmare trip through the final quarter-mile of the Phoenix most recently when he finished third, beaten just a half-length.
Whitmore has won nine of his 13 starts at this distance though needed to go seven furlongs in the G1 Forego to capture the biggest victory of his career two starts back. Earlier this year, he won a pair of sprint stakes, including the G3 Count Fleet Sprint at Oaklawn, missed by a neck in both the True North and Belmont Sprint Championship and by a head in the Phoenix.
X Y Jet will remarkably be making his Breeder’s Cup debut despite being one of the more accomplished sprinters of the past few years. The injury bug has bitten him often but when he manages to make it to the races he’s as speedy as they come. After missing over a year, he won the G3 Mr. Prospector at the end of last year and Sunshine Millions Sprint to start this year at Gulfstream then won a minor stakes at Tampa before missing by a head in the Golden Shaheen when Mind Your Biscuits nailed him on the money. Last out in late June he rolled home an easy winner of the G3 Smile at Gulfstream.
Mr. Crow had the looks of a top sprinter-in-the-making last year before tailing off considerably, having won just once in his last eight starts while searching for his first stakes tally. He was second in the Vosburgh most recently, arguably his best effort since last season.
Warrior’s Club captured the G3 Commonwealth at Keeneland this past spring, his first graded stakes score. Second in the Vanderbilt three starts back, he cuts back in distance after trying his hand at a mile when sixth in the G3 Ack Ack last out.2
Always Sunshine takes the biggest step up in class of his career off of a terrible effort in the G3 DeFrancis Dash at Laure. Earlier this season he won minor stakes at both Delaware Park and Saratoga from just off the pace.
B Squared is just one for 10 this year with his lone victory coming against fellow California-breds at Santa Anita in a stakes event. He has first preference in the Turf Sprint but it’s unlikely he’ll draw into that field.
You could have claimed Distinctive B for $32K three starts back when he finished second at Santa Anita back in January. He won an entry level allowance/optional claimer off of a near-eight-month layoff before setting the pace and settling for second behind stablemate Roy H in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.
Sophomore filly Happy Like a Fool takes on the big boys at six panels instead of fellow fillies and mares going seven furlongs off of a fifth place try in the G2 TCA at Keeneland on FallStars Saturday. She won the G3 Miss Preakness back in May.
If I’m Right…
This could be one of the best Sprint fields we’ve seen and will likely be the most competitive race over Breeders’ Cup weekend.
Live Longshot
They can’t bet them all so something has to give on the tote board and I think it’ll be Whitmore. He should get a solid pace and loves the distance.
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