Breeders' Cup Sprint: Great expectations for Imperial Hint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A year ago, trainer Luis Carvajal came to Del Mar with Imperial Hint, who a lot of people thought could win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. On Saturday, Carvajal comes to Churchill Downs with Imperial Hint, who a majority of handicappers think should win the $2 million Sprint.

The six-furlong Sprint lured a field of nine, including defending champion Roy H.

Carvajal said the added pressure of having the favorite in a Breeders’ Cup race should faze him, but really doesn’t – not after having sent out Imperial Hint to win his last three starts, the two most recent against Grade 1 competition in New York as the odds-on choice in both the Alfred Vanderbilt at Saratoga and the Vosburgh at Belmont Park.

“I’m getting used to having this kind of pressure when he runs,” said Carvajal, who trains Imperial Hint for owner Raymond Mamone. “So, it’s really not as bad as I thought it would be. And it’s worth the extra pressure to know you’re coming into the race with what everyone believes is the best horse.”

Perhaps the most pressure Carvajal has had to face in the days leading up to the Sprint was at Monday’s post-position draw. A former jockey, Carvajal breathed a sigh of relief after Imperial Hint ended up with post 5.

“I was looking for something from the middle to the outside,” said Carvajal. “You never want to worry about getting into trouble down on the inside.”

Imperial Hint nearly pulled off the minor upset for Carvajal in his first Breeders’ Cup, taking a clear lead into the stretch before succumbing to Roy H, beaten a length while two lengths clear of third-place finisher Mind Your Biscuits.

“Last year, everything was new to me, the horse, everybody,” said Carvajal. “This year, we know what to expect, and he seems to have really matured during that time. Now, he can rate, can wait a little more, which is a big advantage.”

The late defection of X Y Jet took some of the early speed out of the race, but there is still plenty of pace left for Imperial Hint to chase, with Promises Fulfilled and Distinctive B in the lineup.

“I almost hate to see X Y Jet come out because to be the best you’ve got to run against and beat the best,” said Carvajal. “Promises Fulfilled looks like the real speed now, but we won’t be too far back. You can place my horse anywhere you want him to be.”

Imperial Hint has run twice at Churchill, finishing sixth in the seven-furlong Churchill Downs Stakes this past Kentucky Derby Day, and 12th in the Pat Day Mile in 2016.

“I know our horse hasn’t run well in two previous starts over this track, but I think it was more the distance than anything else that was responsible for that,” Carvajal said. “Six furlongs is really what he does best. So, I’m not worried. I fully expect him to go over there and run his best.”

Roy H comes into the Sprint the same way he did a year ago, off a victory in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship four weeks earlier. The win was his second in four starts this season and avenged a setback behind Ransom the Moon in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby this summer at Del Mar. Roy H is one of two Sprint entrants for trainer Peter Miller, along with Distinctive B, who finished second behind his stablemate in the Santa Anita Sprint.

“If you asked me two months ago how I felt about [Roy H’s] chances to repeat in the Sprint, I wouldn’t have been too confident,” said Miller. “Right now, my confidence level is quite high. He is training, racing, and acting like his old self.”

Miller attributes that change to the fact that he moved Roy H from Santa Anita, where he was training earlier this year, to his main base at San Luis Rey Downs following the Bing Crosby.

“A little change in scenery, a little change of pace, it really picked his head up,” said Miller.

As for Distinctive B, Miller said his style complements the stalking Roy H well.

“He’ll ensure there is a fast pace for Roy H,” said Miller. “We think it’s a good one-two punch.”

Promises Fulfilled, the only 3-year-old in the lineup, brings a three-race win streak into the Sprint that includes the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga and the Grade 2 Phoenix in his first start against older horses last month at Keeneland.

“I think this is the most competitive race on the card,” said trainer Dale Romans. “You could go six deep and not be surprised who won it. And whoever does win should be the deserving sprint champion. My horse doesn’t have to be in front to win. He proved that in the Amsterdam, which is probably his best race to this point, although if someone wants to outfoot him to the lead, they’re going to have to work awfully hard to do it.”

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Although stabled year round at Keeneland, not Churchill Downs, the home-court advantage in the Sprint belongs to Limousine Liberal, who has won his last five starts over the Churchill track, all stakes, including three graded races. Limousine Liberal was beaten a half-length by Promises Fulfilled when finishing a hard-luck third after a troubled trip in the Phoenix.

Whitmore, the runner-up in the Phoenix, became a Grade 1 winner this season by upsetting the seven-furlong Forego at Saratoga following near misses in both the Grade 2 True North and Grade 2 Belmont Sprint. Whitmore had the misfortune of drawing the rail for the Sprint.

Warrior’s Club, Always Sunshine, and B Squared, ninth in the 2017 Sprint, complete the field.

– additional reporting by Byron King