Ward has four prospects for Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint promises to get an oversubscribed field for the second time in as many runnings. Inaugurated last year at Churchill Downs, the $1 million race will be held Nov. 1 at Santa Anita as one of the five 2-year-old races comprising Future Stars Friday.

To no one’s surprise, trainer Wesley Ward has prospects aplenty for the Juvenile Turf Sprint in three fillies – Kimari, Cambria, and Karak – as well as an American Pharoah colt, Four Wheel Drive.

“We are getting serious,” Ward deadpanned this week from his Keeneland base.

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The Ward contingent leads a deep cast of American-based prospects. In New York, Gary Contessa has the Skidmore winner, Another Miracle, while across the continent in California, Peter Miller is hopeful that the five-furlong distance and the move to grass will help the speedy filly Bulletproof One, already a three-time winner, rebound from a last-out defeat.

Indeed, the fact Santa Anita has suspended all 6 1/2-furlong turf racing “down the hill” and will be running the Juvenile Turf Sprint at five furlongs figures as a major factor in field composition and quite possibly the ultimate outcome. Ward, renowned for his precocious 2-year-olds, said the shorter distance “probably does help our chances,” given the general tendency of his horses to flash early speed.

From overseas, the top contender appears to be A’Ali, trained by Simon Crisford, although the Group 1 Middle Park being run Saturday at Newmarket could produce a major player or two. The co-favorites in that six-furlong race are Earthlight and Mums Tipple.

With Frankie Dettori up, A’Ali won his most recent start, the Group 2 Flying Childers on Sept. 13 at Doncaster, making the Irish-bred colt a winner in 3 of 5 overall starts.

“He’s a great little horse,” Dettori told the Racing Post afterward. “Simon is thinking about the Breeders’ Cup, and he’s tailor-made for that.”

Three major preps remain on this continent, all to be run next Sunday, Oct. 6. They are the Futurity at Belmont, in which Another Miracle surely will be favored, as well as the Indian Summer at Keeneland and the Speakeasy at Santa Anita. All are Win and You’re In events with expenses-paid berths.

Last year at Churchill, the Juvenile Turf Sprint was run at 5 1/2 furlongs when won by Bulletin, trained by Todd Pletcher.