Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Europeans reluctant to run

Since the inception of the Breeders’ Cup as a year-end event to attract top horses from the world over, the turf events have done their part, attracting standout European-based runners who have established themselves as champions here.

However, there is one turf event in which American-based horses dominate. All eight winners of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint since the race was added to the program in 2008 have been American-based. The home-field advantage becomes even more pronounced at Santa Anita, this year’s host track. The configuration of the course means the Turf Sprint is contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on the idiosyncratic hillside turf – and not surprisingly, four of the previous five winners of this race at Santa Anita had prior wins on that course. No European-based horse has ever finished in the top three in the event in California.

By comparison, in 33 other Breeders’ Cup events run on turf at Santa Anita – compiling results from the Turf, Filly and Mare Turf, Mile, Juvenile Turf, and Juvenile Fillies Turf – 19 of those were won by horses making their final prep start in Europe, compared with 14 by American-based horses. That includes a 5-3 edge for the Europeans in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and a sweep of the five editions of the Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita.

As a result, foreign participation in the Turf Sprint is generally muted compared with the other events on grass at the Breeders’ Cup – despite there being Win and You’re In automatic qualifiers for the race held in England, Ireland, Japan, and Australia.

Limato emerged as the leading European contender for the race and would have been among the favorites off victories in a pair of Group 1 sprint events – the July Cup in England and the Prix de la Foret in France. However, he appears more likely to stretch out for the Mile, in part owing to the challenge of navigating the downhill turf.

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“I think we are all edging towards the Mile,” trainer Henry Candy told Racing UK on Wednesday. “The view is if he had one of his sleepy moments in the [starting gate] – which he’s not done this year but might at any stage – I don’t think he would ever get into the [Turf Sprint] haring off down the hill and around the bend.”

Suedois, who has locked horns with Limato all season, now takes up the mantle as the leading European-based runner for the Turf Sprint. Suedois hasn’t won since August 2015 but was a good second to Limato in the July Cup and most recently was third in the Prix Foret.

“He’s good enough to have run second in the July Cup,” trainer David O’Meara said. “I think he’ll run on anything, really.”

– additional reporting by Marcus Hersh