Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Favorites converge at scene of success
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Got Stormy, Imprimis, Leinster, and Oleksandra are all graded stakes winners at Keeneland. They converge on the track for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday, a race that drew the maximum field of 14, plus four also-eligibles.
Imprimis and Leinster were sixth and seventh in the 2019 Turf Sprint when the Breeders’ Cup was hosted by Santa Anita. That was Leinster’s eighth outing of the season, while this year’s renewal will be just his fourth start of the year.
“He had run a lot last year,” trainer Rusty Arnold said. “This pandemic is a horrible thing, but maybe helps him. He was probably over-raced a little bit last year. At the end of the year, I think that the last two weren’t as good. He’s a fresh horse now.”
Leinster is coming off consecutive Grade 2 stakes victories at Keeneland, both with triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures. He won the Shakertown in July, running 5 1/2 furlongs in a course-record 1:00.86. He then won the Woodford Stakes on Oct. 3.
Imprimis, who won the 2019 Shakertown, also is relatively fresh this year and also is coming off back-to-back triple-digit Beyers. He crossed the line first in the Grade 3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga, but was disqualified to third for interference. He then won the Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint with a performance trainer Joe Orseno found more impressive than the neck margin indicated.
“He ran a giant race that day,” Orseno said of Imprimis, who was trapped and shuffled back before rallying. “That was a much bigger race than winning by the [neck] that they put because of the way he did it. If he gets an inside trip and runs straight, he wins by 10. I’m very happy with him. I think he’s peaking this week.”
Orseno is bringing Imprimis to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint off an eight-week gap by design, but that’s nothing compared to Oleksandra’s unplanned layoff. Oleksandra, a 6-year-old mare who won the Grade 3 Franklin County on the Keeneland turf in October 2019, hasn’t raced since her dramatic victory in the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes on June 20 at Belmont. She rallied from last at the quarter pole to win the six-furlong turf stakes by a neck. Her time was 1:06.80, just off the course record of 1:06.74.
However, Oleksandra emerged with a broken splint bone in a foreleg, which her connections believe occurred when she was bumped at the break. She returned to the work tab in October. Four times in 12 prior runnings of the Turf Sprint, the winner has made his or her final prep in mid-June or earlier.
While these three accomplished runners are long established as turf sprinters, Got Stormy has reinvented herself this fall. Second in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Mile and a Grade 1 winner at that distance, she went winless in her first five starts of this season. Trainer Mark Casse cut her back in distance, looking to make the most of her stretch punch. She won the Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs, then shortened up to 5 1/2 furlongs for this year’s Franklin County. Sixth in deep stretch, Got Stormy was up by a nose.
The forecast for Breeders’ Cup week in Lexington called for sunny afternoons with no serious precipitation. That would likely give Got Stormy a firm course to her liking.
“For her to get a mile, she needs it extremely, extremely hard,” Casse said. “And she hasn’t gotten that once this year. I’ve always said she’d handle soft going – it just limits how far she can run.”
Imprimis is drawn in post 3 in the full field under Irad Ortiz Jr.; Leinster landed in 7 with Luis Saez; Oleksandra drew post 8 under Joel Rosario; and Got Stormy, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, is in post 12 with Tyler Gaffalione in the irons. All four have run strong races from off the pace and are likely to get some pace to rally into Saturday.
Drawing the rail was Big Runnuer, a front-running winner of the Grade 2 Eddie D at Santa Anita who has appeared on the muscle galloping at Keeneland. Next to him in post 2 is Just Might, who set the pace in the Woodford before fading.
Arnold said he likes that Leinster is just outside of two speed horses.
“He drew really well,” Arnold said. “A lot of speed inside of him. We’re in good shape.”
Watching the pace unfold, and ready to respond accordingly, will be Wet Your Whistle, who typically rallies from off the pace, as he did winning the Grade 1 Highlander at Woodbine last year. But he has shown the ability to adjust to the shape of the race. He won the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint on the front end last time out.
Glass Slippers secured a berth into this race by winning the Group 1 Flying Five at The Curragh in Ireland. She then finished a close second in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye, a race she won last year. Although most European sprints are run down a straight course, she does have experience racing around turns at Chester, winning there in September 2018.
“She’s handled the undulations at Goodwood in the straight line,” trainer Kevin Ryan also noted. “She’s just very versatile, and going around the bend’s no worry at all.”
In addition to those shipping in from various jurisdictions, some familiar foes will line up for a rematch with the favorites. Extravagant Kid was second to Leinster in the Woodford, while Brendan Walsh-trained stablemate Into Mystic was beaten a nose by Got Stormy in the Franklin County. Bombard and Front Run the Fed finished in a dead heat for a close second-place finish behind Imprimis at Kentucky Downs.
Completing the main body of the field are Wildman Jack, who was second in the Eddie D, and Texas Wedge, who was third in the Japiur. Texas Wedge is the chief hope for trainer Peter Miller, who is looking for a fourth straight win in the Turf Sprint, having won it with Stormy Liberal (2017, 2018) and Belvoir Bay (2019).
The also-eligibles, in order of preference, are Equilateral, a winner at Meydan earlier this year; Chaos Theory, who won the Grade 3 Green Flash in August; Archidust, third in the Belmont Turf Sprint; and the Miller-trained Bulletproof One, winner of the Unzip Me last out.