2021 Breeders' Cup Sprint: Old guard not ready to concede to youngsters without a fight
It appears the 3-year-olds are the dominant members of the sprint division, with Jackie’s Warrior sitting atop the list of contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Dr. Schivel and Baby Yoda among the other leading candidates for the race. The final two major preps for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint are Friday’s Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland and Saturday’s Grade 2 Vosburgh at Belmont Park, both Win and You’re in races.
Several veterans are more than capable of having a major say in the outcome of the Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. The older horses pointing for the race include the 7-year-olds Flagstaff and C Z Rocket, the second- and third-place finishers behind loose-on-the-lead Dr. Schivel in Saturday’s Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and the 6-year-old Firenze Fire, who seeks to earn his way back to the Breeders’ Cup for a fourth time while attempting to defend his title in the Vosburgh.
Trainer John Sadler opted to pass the Breeders’ Cup with Flagstaff the past two years, despite the fact he finished third and second in the 2019 and 2020 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Sadler said he is leaning toward running the veteran in this year’s Sprint in what could be the final start of his career.
“He’ll have to train good to run in there, but right now we’re planning on it,” said Sadler. “He’ll either run there or be retired. He’s been a great horse for us, but he’s getting toward the end of his career now.
“You keep thinking in these races he’ll catch a bunch of fast horses and close into them, but there was no speed in the race the other day. But if he’s doing well and can get the setup he needs, he will be dangerous.”
C Z Rocket, who finished second behind Whitmore in the 2020 Sprint at Keeneland, was at a disadvantage right from the start in the Santa Anita Sprint, breaking a bit slowly and dropping to the rear of the field down the backstretch. He put in a strong bid outside horses into the stretch before finishing a nose behind runnerup Flagstaff, with neither threatening the winner.
“The tracks out here are super-duper deep and tiring, and it’s so hard to make up any ground,” said C Z Rocket’s trainer, Peter Miller. “These tracks are speed biased and if you don’t have speed it’s very difficult to compete. The younger horses like Jackie’s Warrior and Dr. Schivel are very good – I respect all of them – but I’m not afraid of anybody as long as the track is fast and playing fair at Del Mar on Breeders’ Cup Day. That’s really our main hope.”
A field of seven led by Special Reserve, runner-up in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt in his last start, and Aloha West, fresh off an impressive allowance victory at Saratoga for which he earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, will contest the six-furlong Phoenix. Quick Tempo, Mucho, Endorsed, Just Might, and Sir Alfred James complete the lineup.
Baby Yoda makes his stakes debut in the Vosburgh. His 114 Beyer for an allowance victory on closing weekend at Saratoga is tied for the highest Beyer by any horse this year. Following Sea, Good Effort, and Jalen Journey will also run in the Vosburgh.