Breeders' Cup Sprint: Super Ocho, Flash of Mischief longshots worth considering
Considering the winners of the two most recent renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint went postward at odds of 11-1 (Aloha West in 2021) and 18-1 (Whitmore 2020), handicappers might want to pay a little more attention to some of the lesser-regarded contenders pointing to this year’s edition. That group includes Super Ocho, who has had most of his success on turf, and Flash of Mischief, who exploded to a career-best performance when he turned back from a series of two-turn races to six furlongs at Remington Park in his most recent start.
Super Ocho began his career in his native Chile, where he was a two-time Group 2 sprint winner and Group 3 placed going 1 1/8 miles, with each of those races on turf. His best performances since shipping to the United States and joining trainer Amador Sanchez’s barn at Gulfstream Park earlier this season have been sprinting on dirt. He won an allowance race by 10 1/4 lengths at Mountaineer Park in June and was a troubled third earlier this month in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Super Ocho was beaten just a length by winner Howbeit at Santa Anita, despite taking up sharply behind the leaders in the run down the backstretch.
“I think if he had run quietly behind the speed and waited a little longer, he would have won that last race,” Sanchez said.
Super Ocho rallied three wide to take the lead at the top of the stretch before succumbing grudgingly in the Santa Anita Sprint, a performance that earned him a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
Super Ocho had his first work back since the Santa Anita Sprint on Monday, breezing a very easy five furlongs in 1:00.20 at Santa Anita.
“He worked very well this morning,” Sanchez said. “The horse feels great.”
Sanchez added that Super Ocho would work once more at Santa Anita before flying to Keeneland on Oct. 30, and confirmed his regular rider, Hector Berrios, would retain the mount in the Sprint.
Flash of Mischief drew off to a 6 1/4-length triumph in the David Vance Stakes at Remington on Sept. 25, earning a 104 Beyer, far and away his best in 21 career starts.
“The horse has been doing phenomenal of late and I always thought he was at his best sprinting,” said Karl Broberg, who trains Flash of Mischief for owner-breeder Jerry Namy. “He finally got the opportunity to go short again and he ran his eyeballs out. He’s training like he’s never trained before. He’s doing incredible. I’ll work him just once, about 10 days out from the Sprint, at Remington.”
Cristian Torres was aboard in the David Vance and will ride him again in the Breeders’ Cup, Broberg said.
◗ Trainer Wesley Ward said Monday his first preference is still to run the filly Kimari against the boys in the Sprint, although he will also pre-enter her in the Filly and Mare Sprint. Ward also plans to enter his improving 3-year-old Nakatomi in the Sprint. Nakatomi has started just twice this season and comes off a wide-running fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx Racing.
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