Breeders' Cup Sprint: Favorite Tale's hard luck continues

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Just about anything that could go wrong has gone wrong in trainer Guadalupe Preciado’s quest to win the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Saturday at Keeneland with Favorite Tale. After being stuck in quarantine, forced to train at three different locations, and having his van break down en route to Kentucky, Favorite Tale hit yet another obstacle on Monday when he drew the outside post in a field of 14 speedsters set to contest the six-furlong Sprint.

“That’s unbelievable,” said Preciado shortly after the post position draw. “What else can go wrong? But we’re not going to give up; we’ll keep going forward. If this horse wins after all that’s happened to him this past month, they should make a movie.”

Favorite Tale finally got to Keeneland early enough to work an easy four furlongs in 47.78 seconds on Monday.

“I told the rider to be a little conservative over this track,” said Preciado. “But he finished well and he’s ready. We’ll take a good look at the race, see how speed is playing on Saturday, and then decide our strategy, although he’s a fast horse and I expect he will be forwardly placed.”

Favorite Tale did earn a free ride into the Sprint as one of four Breeders’ Cup Challenge race winners in the field, along with Private Zone, Wild Dude and Runhappy. Favorite Tale captured Gulfstream Park’s Grade 2 Smile Sprint in July before finishing third behind Rock Fall when making his Grade 1 debut four weeks later at Saratoga in the Alfred Vanderbilt Handicap. Rock Fall, who would have been one of the favorites for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, broke down and was euthanized after a workout at Keeneland earlier this month.

Private Zone, who is expected to be a slight favorite in the Sprint over Runhappy, will also have to negotiate a winning trip from the outside, having drawn just inside Favorite Tale in post 13. The dreaded rail draw went to Alsvid, although his most important victory came from post 1 when he upset defending Sprint champ Work All Week earlier this year in the Grade 3 Aristides at Churchill Downs.

Runhappy, who overcame a slow start to capture the Phoenix here earlier this month, will begin from post 5 in the Sprint. He is one of only two 3-year-olds in the lineup, along with Limousine Liberal.

“I’m fine with the 5 and hopefully he’ll be, too,” said Runhappy’s trainer, Maria Borell. “He had the rail when he broke slow in the Phoenix. I expect him to break better this time.”