Anarchist will skip Breeders' Cup Sprint, O'Neill says
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ARCADIA, Calif. - Anarchist, a two-time graded stakes winner in 2023 who was third in the Group 3 Korea Sprint in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 8, will not start in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2, trainer Doug O’Neill said on Sunday.
Instead, the 5-year-old Anarchist will be pointed to a 2025 campaign.
“We’ll give him some extra time,” O’Neill said.
Owned by Ilium Stables LLC, Anarchist worked as recently as Oct. 6. By Distorted Humor, Anarchist has won 3 of 15 starts and earned $572,078. His most prestigious win occurred in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar in August 2023.
Despite the absence of Anarchist, O’Neill has five candidates for Breeders’ Cup races – Katonah (Dirt Mile), Mixto (Classic), Pali Kitten (Juvenile Turf Sprint), Raging Torrent (Sprint) and So There She Was (Juvenile Fillies).
Mixto earned a fees-paid berth to the $7 million BC Classic at 1 1/4 miles with an upset win in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 31.
Mixto worked five furlongs in 1:02 at Santa Anita on Sunday under jockey Kyle Frey, who described the exercise as “fantastic.”
“The gallop out was better than the work,” Frey said.
Mixto has won 2 of 14 starts and earned $782,180. Aside from the $1 million Pacific Classic, Mixto’s only other win was a maiden race at a mile at Del Mar last November.
With that on his resume, O’Neill said the BC Classic is worth a try.
“He’s won two races in his life and they’ve both been at Del Mar,” he said. “We’ll go with that.”
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