Wild Dude earns cash to pay Breeders' Cup nomination fees

ARCADIA, Calif. - Wild Dude is financing his way to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Oct. 31.

Saturday, Wild Dude won the $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, the second time this year he has won a race that featured a berth to the BC Sprint through the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program. The only drawback is that Wild Dude was not made eligible to the Breeders’ Cup as a weanling, which will force co-owners Green Smith and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer to pay a $100,000 nomination fee later this month.

Hollendorfer indicated after the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship that the nomination fee would be paid. Wild Dude earned $180,000 for winning Saturday’s race.

Wild Dude ($6.20) ran six furlongs in 1:09.45 in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, benefiting from a wicked speed duel between Masochistic, the 3-5 favorite, and 6-1 Distinctiv Passion. Those two tore through an opening quarter-mile in 21.44 seconds and a half-mile in 43.93 seconds.

“I didn’t know how fast they were going,” Hollendorfer said. “I thought we’d have a chance to come after them and I thought Kobe’s Back would be closing well and he did.”

Jockey Rafael Bejarano had Wild Dude in fourth to early stretch, trailing the leaders by as many as 12 lengths with a quarter-mile to go. The margin was reduced to five lengths with a furlong to go. Wild Dude took the lead in the final sixteenth and was fully extended to hold off Kobe’s Back, who broke slowly. Wild Dude prevailed by a neck.

Glacken Too, a 26-1 outsider, finished third, followed by Masochistic and Distinctiv Passion.

Masochistic was expected to play a role on the front, but such quick fractions were too much, trainer Ron Ellis said.

“He got caught in a duel,” Ellis said.

The Santa Anita Sprint Championship was the fourth career stakes win for Wild Dude, who won the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar in July, another race in the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program. Saturday’s race was his first win at Santa Anita since the Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at seven furlongs in March.

“I thought it this would be a good race for the Breeders’ Cup and here we go,” Hollendorfer said.

Wild Dude, a 5-year-old Florida-bred horse by Wildcat Heir, has won 7 of 18 starts and earned $954,887. Following the Bing Crosby in July, Wild Dude finished second in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 22 behind Appealing Tale, who won Saturday’s Kelso at Belmont Park.