Mitole leads Breeders' Cup Sprint; Imperial Hint scratched

ARCADIA, Calif. – With the loss of three of the top members of the division during the course of the season, including the two-time reigning champion, one would have thought the $2 million Sprint would be merely an afterthought on Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup program at Santa Anita.

But despite 2017 and 2018 Sprint winner Roy H, 2019 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner X Y Jet, and multiple Grade 1 winner World of Trouble being sent to the sidelines – and the late defection of Omaha Beach to the Dirt Mile – the six furlong Sprint is widely considered the most compelling race of the 2019 Breeders’ Cup.

Mitole and Imperial Hint, who have won five Grade 1 races between them this season, top a field that also includes the blazing-fast 3-year-old Shancelot and hometown hero Catalina Cruiser, whose only loss in eight career starts came in the 2018 Dirt Mile.

Completing the field are Firenze Fire, runner-up in the Grade 1 Forego and Grade 1 Vosburgh in his last two starts; Whitmore, second behind Roy H in the 2018 Sprint; Hog Creek Hustle, upset winner of the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont Park; Phoenix winner Engage; and Japanese invader Matera Sky, second behind X Y Jet in the Golden Shaheen.

Landeskog was entered but will not start in the Sprint.

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Mitole will attempt to put a punctuation mark on his outstanding career with a victory in the Sprint. Mitole, who will stand stud next season at Spendthrift, has won five of six starts in 2019, with his lone setback a third-place finish after contesting a wicked pace from the deeper footing on the rail in the Vanderbilt at Saratoga. He rebounded from the loss with a three-length victory over Firenze Fire in the Forego there, his third Grade 1 triumph of the year following earlier tallies in the Metropolitan Handicap and Churchill Downs Sprint.

Steve Asmussen trains Mitole for owners William and Corinne Heiligbrodt with help from assistant Scott Blasi and the colt’s regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr.

“We’re very excited about Mitole and who he is, and hoping he can cap off the year in fitting fashion,” said Asmussen. “This race will be kind of bittersweet with this being his last run. What he’s done for us when called upon, the respect level me, Ricardo, Scott, the whole barn has for him is so special. We’re not under any illusion that he’s replaceable.”

Mitole will enter the Sprint idle since winning the Forego on Aug. 24. Asmussen shipped him to California one month in advance of the Breeders’ Cup and is pleased with how he’s done coming up to the race.

“He’s acclimated well to Santa Anita, and I’ve loved how he’s trained over the racetrack,” said Asmussen.

Mitole indicated his sharpness for the Sprint when zipping five furlongs from the gate in 58.27 on Oct. 22 with Mike Smith aboard. Santana will ride Mitole on Saturday from post 4.

“Two months from his last race, I felt he needed a good blow, and you can only do so much working from the pole,” Asmussen explained. “And we wanted to be prepared for being in a situation if we drew the rail. We didn’t want the draw to eliminate us. As it turned out, I’m very happy with our draw, and at the moment I’d say our confidence level is justifiably stronger than anybody else’s.”

Like Mitole, both Imperial Hint and Shancelot have their respective trainers, Luis Carvajal Jr. and Jorge Navarro, brimming with confidence the way they’ve been working up to the race.

Imperial Hint, who finished second in the 2017 Sprint and third last year at Churchill Downs, has posted a pair of bullet works at his home base at Monmouth Park since his game victory over Firenze Fire in the Vosburgh, including a half-mile in 46 on Oct. 24.

“He did it so easy,” said Carvajal. “His work was perfect, unlike his final work last year before the Sprint at Churchill Downs. He just doesn’t like that racetrack for whatever reason.”

Imperial Hint handed Mitole his only defeat this year while running arguably the best race of his career when he rallied to a four-length victory in winning the Vanderbilt for the second straight year. Imperial Hint posted a 114 Beyer Speed Figure.

Shancelot also shipped to Southern California well in advance of the Breeders’ Cup to acclimate to the racetrack and new surroundings. He ran a game second, finishing a head behind Omaha Beach, in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5 and has trained brilliantly ever since, posting a pair of bullet works, including a 46.27 half-mile that had Navarro raving.

“He’s a freak,” said Navarro. “You really can’t call it a hard work because he did it so easily. Shipping out here early was the right move and I couldn’t be happier with the way he’s coming into the race.”

Shancelot, who posted a 121 Beyer for his incredible 12 1/2-length tally in the Grade 2 Amsterdam, will have a new rider in Jose Ortiz for the Sprint.

Catalina Cruiser runs in the Sprint over the Dirt Mile but could find himself compromised by having drawn the rail. Catalina Cruiser, sixth, beaten 17 1/2 lengths in the 2018 Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs, has won all three of his starts this season but has been idle since outgaming Great Expectations to win the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar on Aug. 24. He has not competed at six furlongs since his second career start in May 2018.