SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Book’em Danno and Bentornato accounted for 197 of the 218 ballots cast in the Eclipse Award voting for 2025 champion male sprinter. Book’em Danno earned 115 votes to Bentornato’s 82, the closest election in all horse categories last year. The two are seeking to firm up their places at the top of the nation’s sprint division in Saturday’s Grade 3 True North Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga. Both have something to prove in the $400,000 True North after losses in their first starts of 2026. Bentornato won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar last November and was second in his lone start this year, the Group 1 Golden Shaheen in Dubai on March 28. Book’em Danno, who won the 2025 True North and two other graded stakes at Saratoga last summer, finished second in the Grade 2 Carter Stakes at seven furlongs at Aqueduct on April 4 in his 2026 debut. They are not the only contenders in the True North field of nine. Imagination, second in the 2025 BC Sprint, and Illuminare, an improving 5-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher, are part of the field. :: DRF Belmont Stakes Packages: Save big on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Bentornato has benefited from the start in Dubai, trainer Jose D’Angelo said earlier this week. “I’m glad that we are arriving at this race with a race under his belt,” D’Angelo said. “He ran a huge race. For this race, he’s coming along better.” Owned by Leon King Stables and TCC Stables, 5-year-old Bentornato has won 7 of 12 starts. In the $2 million Golden Shaheen, Bentornato stalked the pace, a change from his typical tactic of leading or disputing the pace. He closed from fourth on the turn to lose by 1 3/4 lengths. “You never see him running from behind the leaders,” D’Angelo said. In the True North, D’Angelo expects Bentornato to be forward early. The outsiders Acoustic Ave and Listenupshance have shown speed at times but do not seem as quick as Bentornato. Book’em Danno, a winner of 10 of 17 starts, closed from fourth of five to finish second by a neck in the Carter Stakes. In his three graded stakes wins at Saratoga last summer, Book’em Danno stalked the pace before reaching the front in the last furlong. After the True North, Book’em Danno won the Grade 2 Vanderbilt Stakes and Grade 1 Forego Stakes using that style. On Saturday, trainer Derek Ryan expects Book’em Danno to be close to Bentornato with a quarter-mile remaining. “We have a lot of respect for Bentornato, but ours isn’t a slouch either,” he said. “If we turn for home a half-length behind, I think we can beat him.” Despite the recent loss, Ryan insists Book’em Danno can be as effective in 2026 as he was last year. “He’s bigger and stronger this year,” he said. “He’s taller and broader. He’s training better this year than last.” :: Bet the Belmont Stakes with confidence! Betting Strategies by Mike Beer and David Aragona feature exclusive wager recommendations! Imagination, trained by Bob Baffert, has had mixed form since his second-place finish in the BC Sprint. Imagination overcame a troubled start to win the Group 2, $2 million Riyadh Dirt Sprint at six furlongs in Saudi Arabia in February, but he was only fourth by 5 1/4 lengths behind the brilliant Japanese shipper T O Elvis in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 2. Imagination was beaten a nose for third in that seven-furlong race. Imagination has a strong recent record at six furlongs, including a win at the distance in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship last September. This is his first start at 6 1/2 furlongs. The True North is the toughest race for Illuminare, a 5-year-old horse who has won 5 of 8 starts. Illuminare is unbeaten in two sprints this year – a seven-furlong handicap at Colonial Downs on March 13, his first start since last July, and a six-furlong allowance race at Keeneland on April 17. Illuminare closed from third of six to win the allowance at Keeneland by 4 3/4 lengths, a performance that justifies his appearance in the True North. “It’s a logical spot, but a darn tough spot, too,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “I guess we’ve got to see where we belong. The horse is in good form. It’s time to take a shot. Timing-wise, it works out on his schedule. We always had high hopes. He’s always had some niggling issues. Everything has come together now.” Tactically, Illuminare is draw well in post 7. Manny Franco rides Illuminare for the first time in the True North and is likely to race from a stalking position. “I think that’s important,” Pletcher said. “He’s tactical enough to find a good spot, hopefully. There seems to be plenty of pace in there.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.