Breeders' Cup Sprint: Englishman towers over division
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The sprint division lost its two returning stars, reigning Eclipse champion Book’em Danno and 2025 Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Bentornato, earlier this season due to injury but has found instead a new and arguably even more imposing leader in the 3-year-old sensation Englishman, who figures to go postward the overwhelming favorite in this year’s renewal of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Englishman enters the Breeders’ Cup having sandwiched four one-sided victories – including eye-catching performances in both the Grade 1 Woody Stephens and Allen Jerkens – around his lone setback, a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile on Derby Day at Churchill Downs.
The 117 and 115 Beyer Speed Figures Englishman posted this summer at Saratoga in his two Grade 1 tallies tower over anything shown to date by his prospective Sprint rivals.
And if that isn’t enough, Englishman’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, believes turning back to six furlongs for the Sprint should be an even bigger advantage for her speedster, despite the dominance he already displayed traveling seven furlongs in his last two starts.
“I’m actually a lot more confident in him going six furlongs than seven,” DeVaux said. “He’s very fast, gets out of the gate quickly, and puts himself in good position, although he’s shown he can rate off horses if he has to, like he did in the Woody Stephens. It’s just up to Jose [Ortiz] to get him to ration his speed.”
The Keeneland-based Englishman also has the benefit of racing from out of his own stall in this year’s Breeders’ Cup.
“He’s shipped for most of his races, but it’s always an advantage leading them over from their own stall,” DeVaux said. “And it’s nice for me not having to pack a bunch of suitcases and going on the road. Definitely a lot more convenient and a lot less stressful for both of us.”
Englishman is listed at even-money on Daily Racing Form’s morning line for the Sprint.
DeVaux said she’s trying not to think about the pressure associated with having one of the heaviest favorites on this year’s Breeders’ Cup program.
“It’s not something I really think about,” DeVaux said. “I just worry about my own horse, how’s he training, and try not to think about who he’s running against or anything else about the race.”
Although Englishman is an overwhelming favorite, he figures to share a lot of the pre-race attention leading up to the Sprint with Japanese invader T O Elvis.
T O Elvis took the United States by storm dominating a strong field by 3 1/4 lengths when making his North American debut in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes on May 2. He earned notoriety not only for his outstanding performance, which earned a 108 Beyer Figure, but the heavy late wagering that drove his odds down from his 30-1 morning line to just 5-1 at post time.
The seven-furlong Churchill Downs was T O Elvis’s only start this season, and, like Englishman, he too may prefer shortening to six furlongs for the Sprint. He won each of his last four starts during his 3-year-old campaign at that distance in Japan.
Thursday’s Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont, postponed five days due to weather, and Friday’s Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland are both Breeders’ Cup Challenge races and figure to add another name or two to an already lengthy list of prospective BC Sprint starters, which includes Listenupshance, winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby and Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Both the Bing Crosby and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship were Win and You're In races for the BC Sprint.
Filly and Mare Sprint
Like Englishman, Ways and Means projects to be a heavy favorite to capture the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint on the strength of her one-sided victory in the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. Trained by Chad Brown, Ways and Means will try to make amends after finishing fifth, beaten just 1 1/4 lengths by longshot Soul of an Angel, as the 2-1 favorite in the 2024 edition of the Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar.
Soul of an Angel was trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., who has two potential starters, R Disaster and Kerry’s Kiss, for this year’s renewal. R Disaster is the only horse to defeat Ways and Means this year, having upset that rival in wire-to-wire fashion in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Kerry’s Kiss has shown marked improvement since joining Joseph’s stable last spring, with her most recent victory coming in the Win and You’re In Grade 3 Princess Rooney on Sept. 12 at Gulfstream Park.
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