Reef Runner runs leaders down in Jaipur

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Whether at Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, or Saudi Arabia, Reef Runner has reached the winner’s circle of stakes for turf sprinters in the last 10 months.

Add Saratoga to his list of successful stops.

On Saturday, Reef Runner rallied from slightly off the pace to win the Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, his fourth win in eight starts since he was gelded last summer, and his first win at the highest level. The win gave Reef Runner a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

In the $500,000 Jaipur, Reef Runner ($12.48) closed from third of 10 to win by a half-length over 4-1 Ag Bullet, who also stalked the pace. Reef Runner, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., was slightly closer to the front than normal in the first half-mile after a sharp start.

“When he broke, he put me in a good position,” Ortiz said. “He did it on his own. I was very happy with that.”

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John the Beer Man, a 5-1 chance, set a quick pace of 21.19 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.13 for a half-mile, leading Ag Bullet by a length. Ortiz had Reef Runner toward the inside turning into the stretch and moved the 5-year-old outside of John the Beer Man and Ag Bullet in the last furlong before reaching the front in the final sixteenth.

“I never hit him,” Ortiz said. “I shook the stick and he did the rest. He’s a really nice horse, very consistent, very straightforward.”

Reef Runner was timed in a quick 1:00.02, just missing the 2024 course record of 59.80 seconds set by Cogburn in the Jaipur. Reef Runner was given a 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

Ag Bullet, a 6-year-old mare based in California with trainer Richard Baltas, had her first start of the year in the Jaipur, a race she won last year.

“She ran great,” Baltas said. “I love the way she’s been doing all week. She’s been a handful. I wanted her up close because the track was fast. She had her shot to win and the other horse ran her down.”

John the Beer Man held third, a neck behind Ag Bullet, and was followed by Twenty Six Black, My Boy Prince, Litigation, Bold Journey, Governor Sam, Works for Me, and Clock Tower. My Boy Prince, the 3-1 favorite, was fifth for the first three furlongs and did not threaten the leaders in the stretch, finishing 2 1/4 lengths behind Reef Runner.

Reef Runner, by The Big Beast, won for the second time in three starts this year in the Jaipur, his first start of 2026 in the United States.

Owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong and trained by David Fawkes, Reef Runner won the Group 2, $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia in February with Ortiz aboard and was fourth by 1 1/2 lengths in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on March 28 when ridden by William Buick.

Reef Runner has won 9 of 25 starts and earned $2,177,580. The win on Saturday was worth $275,000. This year, Reef Runner has earned $1.55 million.

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