Ivan Fallunovalot eyes BC Sprint

Ivan Fallunovalot has been made eligible for the Breeders’ Cup, and now his connections are debating the best path to get him to the $1.5 million Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland. The options are the $150,000 Remington Park Sprint Cup on Sept. 27 at the horse’s home track or the Grade 3, $250,000 Phoenix on Oct. 2 at Keeneland, trainer Tom Howard said.

“We got to do a little research and see what’s best,” Howard said. “We want to get him there in good shape, without really putting rough miles on him and beating him up. The fresher I can go into it, the better I feel.”

Howard said owner Lewis Mathews Jr. made Ivan Fallunovalot eligible for the Breeders’ Cup in July. The horse captured the $76,500 David M. Vance Sprint at Remington for the second year in a row in his last start Aug. 15. Overall, Ivan Fallunovalot has won 3 of 5 starts this year, including an optional $50,000 claiming sprint at Oaklawn for which he earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 107. He also won the track’s $100,000 King Cotton and finished second in its Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap.

Calvin Borel is the regular rider of Ivan Fallunovalot, and he came to Remington for the Vance on Aug. 15. Ivan Fallunovalot was making his first start since April, and he rallied from fifth for a 3 3/4-length win and covered six furlongs in 1:09.01.

“The first part of it, I really liked the way he relaxed,” Howard said. “Of course, you don’t always get the luxury of not being on the lead.”

Howard said Ivan Fallunovalot, who had been freshened since April, came out of the Vance in good order. He added that in addition to the Kentucky-based Borel, jockey Lindey Wade and his agent, Kevin Johnson, have been a key part of Ivan Fallunovalot’s development as Wade has been the horse’s regular work pilot this summer at Lone Star Park and at Remington.