2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint: Composition of field far from determined
Sprint races often unfold with a chaotic scramble for position. And appropriately enough, that describes the picture for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, with four major prep races remaining in the U.S. leading up to the fourth running of the newest Breeders’ Cup event.
A field of seven will line up on Friday at Santa Anita for the Speakeasy Stakes, which offers a fees-paid berth in the Juvenile Turf Sprint to its winner. Four in the lineup are trying turf for the first time, including two of the race’s standouts, One Timer and Forbidden Kingdom.
One Timer, a stakes winner on synthetic at Woodbine, owns the highest Beyer Speed Figure in the field with an 80. Forbidden Kingdom posted a 79 in his debut win on dirt, and trainer Richard Mandella said Forbidden Kingdom is running in the Speakeasy more to keep him sprinting than to try turf.
After the Speakeasy come the Grade 3 Matron (27 nominations) for fillies on Oct. 9 at Belmont; the Grade 3 Futurity (19 nominations) on Oct. 10 at Belmont; and the Indian Summer (37 nominations) on Oct. 10 at Keeneland. The Futurity and Indian Summer both are Win and You’re In events for the Breeders’ Cup. Sizeable fields seem likely in each of those races.
Also muddling the picture is that trainers still have to determine distance and surface preferences for some potential Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runners. For example, Wesley Ward intended to run Averly Jane on turf in the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga, but the race came off the turf. She won by 7 1/4 lengths anyway. She is now nominated for all three aforementioned Juvenile Turf Sprint preps, but also for the Grade 1 Alcibiades for fillies on the dirt at Keeneland.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has said that Midnight Worker will move to turf for his next outing. The colt is nominated to the Futurity and Indian Summer, but Pletcher also said he could instead stretch out in the Grade 2 Bourbon at Keeneland.
Between them, Pletcher and Ward have won every edition of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, with Pletcher taking the inaugural running with Bulletin (2018) before Ward won with Four Wheel Drive (2019) and Golden Pal (2020).
Ward is sending out Miss Alacrity, winner of the Colleen Stakes on the Monmouth turf, for the Speakeasy. He has the fillies Chi Town Lady, Kaufymaker, Poppy Flower, and Twilight Gleaming nominated to all three upcoming preps, as well as Headline Report, who is nominated to the Futurity.