A small, but intriguing and competitive field are set to go in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship S., a “Win & You're In” for the GI TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint.
The top two finishers from an eventful renewal of the GI Bing Crosby S. at Del Mar July 29 return and break on opposite sides of the gate. Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon), who exits from the rail, notched his first Grade I victory that day over Roy H. (More Than Ready), who will go postward from the six-hole. The former also captured the GII Kona Gold S. at Santa Anita May 20 while the latter scored impressively in Belmont's GII True North H. June 9. The complexion of the Bing Crosby was changed dramatically, however, when the talented Drefong (Gio Ponti) ducked in at the gap and tossed Hall of Famer Mike Smith.
Giant Expectations (Frost Giant) had to face the likes of Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) and American Freedom (Pulpit) as a maiden 3-year-old last year before finally graduating in his first start of 2017 at Belmont Park and has really taken off from there. The $135,000 OBS March buy has gone from the maiden special weight ranks to capturing the GII Pat O'Brien S. at Del Mar in a matter of three months.
American Anthem (Bodemeister) has found his niche sprinting for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Since taken off the GI Kentucky Derby trail following his 12th-place finish in the GI Santa Anita Derby, the bay has rattled off wins in the GIII Lazaro Barrera S. and the GII Woody Stephens S., both at seven furlongs. He comes into this off a third-place finish in the Aug. 26 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. behind MGISW Practical Joke (Into Mischief) and last weekend's GI Vosburgh S. winner Takaful (Bernardini). The $435,000 OBS March purchase has blazed three consecutive bullets since returning from New York, with the latest going four furlongs in :46 3/5 (1/100).
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