Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint: Domestic preps will help clear up intended runners
?q=100)
The picture for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint should become a bit clearer after four domestic prep races this weekend – but “clearer” is a relative term. An overflowing entry box is likely later this month for the newest Breeders’ Cup race, which has been a popular addition to the program, and the makeup of the field is likely to come down to the final stages of the process.
Since its addition to Breeders’ Cup weekend in 2018, the Juvenile Turf Sprint has gone with the maximum number of starters in each of its six runnings, with at least one also-eligible scratched from the program each time. This year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint, going five furlongs on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, is limited to 12 starters, with as many as six also-eligibles permitted to be listed on the program.
Hedging their bets, many candidates for this race have historically also cross-entered either the Juvenile Turf or Juvenile Fillies Turf – both Grade 1, $1 million races at a mile – at the pre-entry stage, on Oct. 21. Field preference is determined by a multi-part process involving berths from Win and You’re In races, graded stakes points, and a selection panel. After determining where they stand amongst the candidates for respective races, connections can then make their final decisions prior to the final entry stage on Oct. 28.
Only twice has the post-time favorite won – Four Wheel Drive in 2019 and Golden Pal in 2020. In the other four editions, the post-time favorite finished out of the top three – although last year’s winner, Big Evs, went off as the second choice.
Four Wheel Drive and Golden Pal are among the three winners of the Juvenile Turf Sprint for Wesley Ward, along with Twilight Gleaming in 2021 at Del Mar. Ward has perhaps his best hope for 2024, Colleen Stakes winner Dreamaway, ready to face colts in the $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita - one of four domestic prep races this weekend that should help sort out candidates for the Breeders' Cup.
The $250,000 Indian Summer on Sunday at Ward's home track, Keeneland, has drawn a full field. Ward is expected to run Floodlites and Pharoah’s Dynasty.
The Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity on Friday at Aqueduct has eight entrants – although it will go without at least one of those, as Chasing Liberty, winner by disqualification of the Juvenile Sprint at Kentucky Downs, is expected to start in the Indian Summer. The Futurity is a Win and You’re In race, awarding a crucial automatic berth into the Juvenile Turf Sprint. The sister race to the Futurity is the Grade 3, $175,000 Matron on Sunday at Aqueduct.
Already holding automatic berths in the Juvenile Turf Sprint are Shareholder, by virtue of his victory in the Group 2 Norfolk at Royal Ascot; and Whistlejacket, who won the Group 1 Prix Morny. They are among several Europeans under consideration for a trip to Del Mar, along with Group 2 Flying Childers one-two Aesterius and Big Mojo. European-based runners have won the Juvenile Turf Sprint the past two years, in Mischief Magic and Big Evs.
Japanese horses won a pair of BC races the last time Del Mar hosted, and the contingent this year is expected to include a Juvenile Turf Sprint entrant in unbeaten Ecoro Sieg.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.