Breeders' Cup Sprint: C Z Rocket hoping third time is the charm
There is likely to be one very familiar face in the starting gate for this year’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, the 8-year-old C Z Rocket, who is on a path to compete in the race for a third consecutive year.
Trainer Peter Miller said Wednesday that although he plans to cross-enter C Z Rocket in both the Sprint and Dirt Mile, the former is where he’s leaning following the veteran’s frustrating nose setback to Howbeit in the six-furlong, Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 1.
“He’s run one subpar race and two very good ones since we brought him back from a layoff this summer,” said Miller. “Obviously the last race was a very good one and he’s come out of it doing very well. He’s maybe lost a half a step in his old age, but who of us haven’t? Jackie’s Warrior is a very good horse and will be extremely tough to beat, but this guy fires pretty much every time, and even if he doesn’t win, we’re thinking he can hit the board.”
C Z Rocket did hit the board in his first try at the Sprint when second behind Whitmore at Keeneland in 2020. He finished seventh following a slow start in the race last year at Del Mar.
“A major factor in running him is that we know he loves Keeneland – that’s a big bonus,” Miller said. “It’s special to have horses like him. He owes us nothing. We owe him everything, and when he tells us he no longer wants to compete or can compete, then he’ll be retired.”
Elite Power and Manny Wah earned themselves an expenses-paid spot in the starting gate for the Sprint after winning Grade 2 Win and You’re In events last week. Elite Power won the Vosburgh at Aqueduct and Manny Wah won the Phoenix at Keeneland.
Elite Power was extremely impressive in the seven-furlong Vosburgh, drawing off to a 5 3/4-length decision as the 1-2 favorite for his fourth consecutive victory, while earning a lifetime-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure in just his seventh career start. Elite Power is trained by Bill Mott, whose Cody’s Wish upset Jackie’s Warrior in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga but is expected to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile rather than turn back in distance for the Sprint.
Trainer Wayne Catalano is hoping lightning will strike twice with Manny Wah, who slipped up the rail to defeat fellow longshot Long Range Toddy as a 17-1 outsider in the Phoenix. Catalano used a victory in the six-furlong Phoenix as a stepping-stone for Aloha West’s upset in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Trainer Dallas Stewart said he is likely to run Long Range Toddy in the Sprint. Long Range Toddy is another who is obviously fond of the Keeneland strip, having finished third at 45-1 in the Grade 3 Commonwealth earlier this season in his only other start over the track.
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