Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Bacio gets a home game trying to buck Nunthorpe trend
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Though it has proven to be a useful prep overseas in recent years, no winner of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes has ever gone on to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Then again, until this year, none of those winners at York Racecourse were based in Kentucky.
After just missing in multiple editions of the British race, trainer Wesley Ward finally became the first American trainer to win the Nunthorpe when Bacio took down 17 rivals in a flashy 1 1/4-length victory in August. The 3-year-old colt traveled 4,000 miles to earn an automatic berth for the Turf Sprint, which will take place Saturday at Keeneland, his home track.
“Any athlete in any sport, when they get on their home court or home field, they have an advantage,” Ward said.
Before taking down Group 1 rivals in his first stakes start as a 3-year-old, Bacio proved his mettle against European competition when he won the $158,500 Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June. Ward knew he was a prospect for a European tour a year ago when he won a second-level allowance at Del Mar by 5 1/4 lengths, after scratching from the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
Unbeaten in his last four starts, all at five furlongs on turf, Bacio’s early speed will have to sustain him a little longer in the 5 1/2-furlong Turf Sprint. The stacked field of 14, along with four also-eligibles, is sure to feature several front-running challengers, though Ward said he could not afford to worry.
“You can’t really be worried,” Ward said. “He’s the favorite for a reason. But he’s had his own way over there in Europe in the early stage of the race, where here, it most likely won’t be the case.”
If Bacio gets caught in a pace duel early on, his most dangerous rival, Comanche Brave, could benefit greatly from a rallying position for trainer Donnacha O’Brien. In September, the 4-year-old colt cut back to five furlongs and overcame heavy traffic in the Group 1 Flying Five at The Curragh, splitting horses late to win by 1 1/4 lengths.
“This is a different ask again, probably going to be a lot more early speed than we have in Europe,” O’Brien said. “It’s going to be interesting to see. I think the extra half-furlong at the end will play into our strengths.”
This week at Keeneland, O’Brien and Comanche Brave have regularly been a part of “Aidan’s Army,” an early-morning procession of horses mostly trained by Aidan O’Brien, Donnacha’s father. The parade of European superstars has been attention-grabbing in Kentucky, though the grandeur has become familiar to the young trainer.
“It’s normal for us,” O’Brien said. “It’s unusual for you guys, but this is everyday for us.”
Cy Fair, the reigning Juvenile Turf Sprint winner, gave trainer George Weaver his first Breeders’ Cup victory last year. She has only improved since, winning back-to-back Grade 3 stakes in April and July, before a disappointing sixth in the Grade 2 Music City at Kentucky Downs.
Weaver said he has drawn a line through the 3-year-old filly’s last start, and with another Breeders’ Cup on the line, he believes she’s ready.
“She won my first Breeders’ Cup race last year at Del Mar,” Weaver said. ”This is a tougher assignment, but she’s doing really well and we can’t be more proud to have her here.”
Starlust and Shisospicy, the last two Turf Sprint winners, made it into the main field this year, but both will run as longshots with clear obstacles to overcome. The European 5-year-old Starlust remains winless in nine starts for trainer Ralph Beckett since his 33-1 upset at Del Mar in 2024, while the reigning champion Shisopsicy has not run in six months.
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In her lone start this year for Jose D’Angelo, the 4-year-old filly finished 11 lengths back in the Grade 2 Unbridled Sidney at Churchill Downs. One year after becoming the first 3-year-old filly to win the Turf Sprint, D’Angelo said he hopes for talent to win out.
“Why not?” D’Angelo said. “She’s part of this already, the very first 3-year-old filly to beat the boys. Why not repeat?”
Bacio might be the local juggernaut in the deep field, but Time to Dazzle and Joe Shiesty have graded stakes victories over the Keeneland course this month. Time to Dazzle scored against female rivals for Mark Casse in the Grade 2 Franklin, while Joe Shiesty won the Grade 2 Woodford with a 103 Beyer Speed Figure for Eric Foster.
Saffie Joseph Jr. gave a positive update on In Our Time on Tuesday morning, saying that the 5-year-old mare is ready to fire again after winning the Grade 1 Ladies Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs in late August. The eccentric course is notorious for struggling to produce Breeders’ Cup winners, which also will be an obstacle for Possiblemente, the Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint winner trained by Joe Sharp.
Miss Yechance, the third 3-year-old in the field, has won four straight starts in Europe while stepping up in class for Karl Burke. The filly’s rapid rise culminated in a photo-finish victory in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp earlier this month, giving her an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup.
“The owners were sporting enough to supplement her for the Abbaye, and the rest is history,” Burke said. “Physically, she’s kept improving all summer. She’s not very big, but she’s a very powerful filly now.”
Roja, a 4-year-old filly trained by Graham Motion, drew just outside Bacio in post 4, which the trainer said he appreciated. In three straight victories this year, including the Grade 2 Intercontinental at Saratoga in June, Roja has never trailed, making her a likely pace presence alongside the likes of Bacio and John the Beer Man.
Sorrento Sky is the only runner in the field shipping from the West Coast for trainer Phil D’Amato. Because he wasn’t nominated for the Breeders’ Cup, his connections had to pay $200,000 to supplement him after back-to-back Grade 2 victories in California.
Yellow Card snuck in as the last entrant in the main field for Michael McCarthy, leaving Big Mojo, No Nay Hudson, Doncho, and Outfielder on the also-eligible list.
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