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Cajun Beat blazes six furlongs in 1:07.95 under jockey Cornelio Velasquez, winning by 2 1/4 lengths over Bluesthestandard in the Breeders' Cup Sprint on Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

Cajun Beat overpowered 12 rivals in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, winning by 2 1/4 lengths in a blazing 1:07.95 for six furlongs. Under jockey Cornelio Velasquez, Cajun Beat ran fast early, middle, and late, earned a 120 Beyer Speed Figure, and left no doubt that the sprint division has a new leader. It took a while to get there.

As a 2-year-old, Cajun Beat was headed nowhere, and he was gelded after only one start. Laid off six months, he won his first two starts back and was sent down the Derby trail. That did not work, either. Cajun Beat was a sprinter. His ability was modest, his legs were sound, and after he changed barns in the spring, new trainer Stephen Margolis developed him into something special.

Making the 11th start of his career Saturday, and fourth for Margolis, Cajun Beat pressed a blistering first quarter-mile in 21.02 seconds. He emerged with the lead after a half-mile in 43.32, then simply ran away from the field. The margin and final time were the third-best in BC Sprint history. Only Juvenile Fillies winner Halfbridled won a Breeders' Cup race on Saturday by a larger margin (2 1/2 lengths).

In the Sprint, the other 12 starters did not have a prayer. Bluesthestandard saved ground, rallied along the rail, and was up for second. Shake You Down was gunned from post 2, battled early, tired, and finished two lengths farther back in third. Late runner Posse parlayed a perfect trip into a fourth-place finish. The 2-1 favorite, Aldebaran, was never in the race, passing tired horses to finish sixth. Tenth-place finisher Ethan Man sustained a suspensory injury and was vanned off.

Bettors gave little respect to Cajun Beat. He paid $47.60 despite having earned a 113 Beyer Figure six weeks earlier in the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Sprint, after which owner Satish Sanan and co-owners Joe and John Iracane set their sights on the Breeders' Cup. Margolis admitted he "was a little reluctant in the beginning - you're facing accomplished older horses. But [Cajun Beat] kept training better and better."

Deliberate improvement has typified his career. A son of Grand Slam, Cajun Beat was purchased by Sanan for $145,000. He finished last in his debut at Delaware, and was turned out and gelded. During the layoff, Joe and John Iracane, father and son businessmen and friends of Sanan, bought a half-interest in Cajun Beat. Sanan retained a half-interest, and Cajun Beat won his first two starts back for trainer Cam Gambolati.

"We had delusions of grandeur," Joe Iracane said. "We would have loved to be in the Kentucky Derby; we probably pushed him a little too hard."

Cajun Beat finished sixth in the Grade 2 Hutcheson and sixth in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby. Expectations were revised. After a last-place finish in a sloppy-track sprint at Churchill Downs, the final piece of the puzzle was put in place.

Gambolati returned to Florida; Cajun Beat stayed in Kentucky and was turned over to Margolis. "His legs were sound," Margolis said. "He was just body-sore."

A light-bodied horse, Cajun Beat responded to acupuncture and a new training pattern. Racing for Margolis, Cajun Beat finished second in an allowance, second in a Grade 3 at Calder, won the Kentucky Cup, and finished things off Saturday.

The 2003 BC Sprint might not be the last Breeders' Cup appearance for the first three finishers, all geldings who will continue to race. Cajun Beat's immediate campaign may include the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. "He's already shown a fondness for the track, and any time you can run against [your own age group] that's a plus," Margolis said.

The Sprint was the third Breeders' Cup victory for Sanan, who won the 2002 Juvenile with Vindication and the 1999 Juvenile Fillies with Cash Run. It was the first for Margolis, Velasquez, and the Iracanes.

"We've been fooling around with horses for 10 or 12 years," Joe Iracane said. "I always wanted to do something important. People don't forget who won big races. This is forever."