Oceanic faces some old friends in Twin Spires Turf Sprint

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Oceanic will see several familiar faces in a full field of 14 for the Grade 2, $500,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on Saturday at Churchill Downs. But there are two in particular Oceanic will be relieved not to see.

The 6-year-old gelding has turned in fine efforts in recent months behind Golden Pal and Caravel, the two most recent winners of the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and a step forward Saturday in the 5 1/2-furlong Twin Spires Turf Sprint would make him a candidate to shine in his own right.

Oceanic, who is trained by Jordan Blair for Surfside Stables, earned his first triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure winning the Da Hoss Stakes last September at Colonial Downs. He cracked that threshold again finishing second by 1 1/2 lengths to Golden Pal in the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes in October at Keeneland. Artemus Citylimits was third that day, and he also runs in the Twin Spires.

Oceanic drew in off the also-eligible list for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland, and was 13th, nine lengths behind victorious Caravel. He made his first start in five months in last month’s Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland, as did Caravel, who won that turf sprint.

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Oceanic was beaten only three-quarters of a length in fourth. Runner-up Bad Beat Brian and third-place Arrest Me Red, the defending Twin Spires winner, are both in the starting gate again on Saturday.

“I can say he’s just getting better with age,” Blair said of Oceanic. “I think he needed the race last time. I was on a short window with getting him ready. I know Caravel was, too, but she’s a freak. So we took a swing and it went well, and we’re running against a lot of the same horses.”

Oceanic came from sixth in the field of 12 in the Shakertown, and Blair said he would like to see Oceanic a bit closer to the pace this time under regular rider Edgar Morales.

“I would like to be just a little bit closer, because it’s so hard to run these horses down in these turf sprints,” he said. “He’s made these big runs and come up just short. He’s definitely good enough to win, just got to [get the trip].”

Oceanic and other late-running types should have plenty of targets to rally at, including the speedy duo of Noble Reflection and Nothing Better. California shipper Noble Reflection has won two straight. Nothing Better has won three of his last four, including the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship last November.

Motorious, another California shipper, also has won three of his last four, including the Grade 3 San Simeon at Santa Anita in March.

Defending winner Arrest Me Red is trained by Wesley Ward, who also sends out Go Bears Go. A multiple group stakes winner, Go Bears Go has made most of his starts in England and Ireland, and runs for Ward for the first time. The colt made two trips to the U.S. for former trainer David Loughnane, finishing second in the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and 12th in last fall’s Turf Sprint. He remained in the U.S. after that race and was transferred to Ward.

Big Invasion, coming off a win in the Silks Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park, has won seven of nine outings, and has never missed the board. He won the William Walker on the Churchill turf last year.

Just Might has won nine stakes. A strong effort would make him a millionaire, as he comes in with $989,775 in earnings.

Colonel Power Stakes winner Evan Sing, multiple synthetic stakes winner Nobals, and Necker Island, who has never won on turf, complete the field.

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