Breeders' Cup Sprint: ‘Freak' Imperial Hint beginning to get noticed

One trainer, when recently asked if his Breeders’ Cup hopeful would be pointed to the Sprint or the Dirt Mile, said he’d chosen the Dirt Mile, adding that one reason was because he didn’t think he could beat “that freak” in the Sprint.

When asked if he was referring to the defending Sprint champion Drefong, he politely replied, “No, I’m talking about Imperial Hint.”

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Although he is still flying a little below the radar in the Sprint pecking order, listed as co-third choice along with Mind Your Biscuits and Ransom the Moon at morning-line odds of 6-1 by Daily Racing Form linemaker Mike Watchmaker, it is easy to see why some might consider Imperial Hint a bit of a freak. All the son of Imperialism has done in 2017 is go a perfect 4 for 4, with his victories by margins ranging from 2 1/4 to 6 3/4 lengths. He’s posted triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in each of those races, including a 109 in his last start, the Donald Levine Memorial at Parx Racing, which is higher than any number Drefong, Mind Your Biscuits, or Ransom the Moon have ever run.

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Imperial Hint earned an automatic berth into the Sprint by virtue of his 4 3/4-length triumph in July at Gulfstream Park in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint. That was his first start on the comeback trail after he came down with a minor illness during a trip to Dubai and had to bypass the Golden Shaheen.

Imperial Hint has been handled flawlessly throughout the campaign by trainer Luis Carvajal Jr., who is stabled at Parx and is following a plan to get his speedster to Del Mar for the Sprint on Nov. 4 that he mapped out immediately after the pair returned home from the unscheduled one-month vacation in Dubai.

“Everything is working out perfectly to this point,” Carvajal said. “He runs at his best with about eight weeks between races. I decided to keep him at Parx for his final prep because we were already guaranteed a spot in the Breeders’ Cup, and that way I didn’t have to ship him anywhere. He was able to run over his home track. All he needed was a race to keep him sharp.”

Carvajal will keep Imperial Hint at Parx for the next several weeks before shipping to California.

“I do want to get him out there to have a chance to work once at Del Mar, because people tell me that track can be a little difficult,” Carvajal said.

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Another guaranteed berth in the Sprint will be up for grabs Saturday at Belmont Park in the Grade 1 Vosburgh. El Deal, who ran off the screen to an eight-length victory while posting a division-best 112 Beyer winning the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on July 29 at Saratoga, will be heavily favored in a field that will include Celtic Chaos, Green Gratto, Mr. Crow, Stallwalkin Dude, Takaful, and Weekend Hideaway.

The remaining two Win and You’re In races for the Sprint, the Phoenix at Keeneland and the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, will be run the following weekend.