Sprint draws 21 pre-entries, with some surprises

ARCADIA, Calif. – The presence of defending champion Secret Circle, multiple Grade 1 sprint winner Palace, and Hong Kong invader Rich Tapestry, who captured the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in his sparkling U.S. debut, did little to scare away the opposition, as 21 horses were pre-entered Monday for the $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

Although four of the 21 have given the race second preference, the somewhat unexpected and in many cases late interest in the event all but assures a full field of 14 will go postward in the six-furlong Sprint on Nov. 1.

Reneesgotzip was the only one of the four who gave preference elsewhere to make the selection committee’s list of 14 starters for the Sprint. That could open up a spot in the starting gate for the European invader Wind Fire, the only other filly pre-entered for the Sprint, if Reneesgotzip opts, as expected, for the Turf Sprint.

Notable among the horses left out of the top 14 was Bahamian Squall, who finished a troubled sixth in the 2013 Sprint. Bahamian Squall, ranked 17th, could still make the cut if the connections of Salutos Amigos decide to stay home and Capo Bastone sticks with his first preference, which is the Dirt Mile.

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The decision to pre-enter Salutos Amigos was a last-minute one, and his status for the Sprint is not likely to be decided for at least another 24 hours.

“I’m going to enter Salutos Amigos on Wednesday in the Bold Ruler, to be run Saturday at Belmont, and wait to see how that race comes up before making a final decision on the Sprint,” trainer David Jacobson said. “Although the more I think about it, the more I’m considering taking him to the Breeders’ Cup.”

That Wind Fire was given first preference in the Sprint, rather than the Turf Sprint, came as a bit of a surprise considering that she has never raced on dirt in 13 career starts. So, too, was the choice by trainer Kellyn Gorder to give the Sprint first preference for Bourbon Courage over the Dirt Mile. Bourbon Courage has been Grade 1-placed twice, with both of those races at 1 1/8 miles. Only four of his 19 starts have comes at distances shorter than a mile, although Bourbon Courage did turn back to 6 1/2 furlongs to easily defeat high-level optional-claiming company at Keeneland on Oct. 3.

“I just loved the way he ran and the way he came out of his 6 1/2-furlong race earlier this month,” said Gorder. “And he was an easy winner the only two times he ran six furlongs at the beginning of his career.”