Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

8th-Gulfstream, $86,940, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($75,000), 2-7, 3yo, 5fT, :54.64, fm, 3/4 length. REEF RUNNER (c, 3, The Big Beast--Paradise Bay, by Blame) was making his first start on the turf as the 15.90-1 longest shot in a field of seven and outsprinted a luckless 3-5 Valiant Force (Malibu Moon) to upset that one's seasonal debut. Ridden along from fourth by Paco Lopez, with the hot favorite underneath him, the Lieblong homebred was sent along three wide on the turn and had dead aim on pacesetting Esperon (Chitu) as...

RP Racing's Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) came into Friday's GI Breeders' Juvenile Turf Sprint carrying great expectation. The 2-year-old's trainer, Mick Appleby, was making his Breeders' Cup debut, as was jockey Tom Marquand. Far from newcomers in their respective bases in the UK, the duo had to travel a long way for this year's World Championships at Santa Anita, but the voyage proved worth their while as the Irish-bred proved best in a blistering renewal of the five-furlong turf test. "I'm still gobsmacked," said a visibly moved Appleby...

ARCADIA, USA -- Tom Marquand arrived at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning in the company of his wife Hollie Doyle, and while she has been ruled out of riding Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint through a suspension incurred at home, Marquand is relishing his participation aboard Big Evs (Ire). The GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint favourite has shot straight to the top of the class among an exciting batch of first-crop runners for the top sprinter Blue Point (Ire). The son appeared to...

Flashy and exciting New Jersey-bred Book'em Danno took his talents out of his home state Sunday to remain unbeaten in the rained-off Futurity S., which originally carried Grade III status as well as a "Win and You're In" berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint before the surface change. The Breeders' Cup will conduct a review of the race Monday to determine if an automatic invitation will be extended to the winner. A 9 1/2-length debut romper against fellow state-breds at Monmouth Aug. 12, the dark bay gelding...

"He's one of my all-time favorites," said trainer Wesley Ward. "He was an awesome horse. Extremely talented, super quick, and agile: that was really his biggest attribute. When the first jump opened, he was explosive. He would open up effortlessly. He pulled the heart away from the other horses a little bit. "He was a joy to train, a highly intelligent horse. I really appreciated the time at the barn with him every day, because based on his accomplishments I knew that our time would be limited with him and he'd...

Private Creed, a last-out winner of the $500,000 Global Tote Juvenile Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 8, added another notch to the win column in Sunday's Indian Summer S. while earning an automatic spot in the starting gate for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint S. to be run over the same Keeneland course and distance Nov. 4. Off as the second choice with the scratch odds-on morning-line favorite Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag)--who is reportedly training up to the Breeders' Cup--Private Creed was taken...

After another dominating performance, this time in the Iowa Cradle S., the undefeated Iowa-bred gelding Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) will face the stiffest test of his career when going next in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Just don't call him an underdog. He's too fast for that. "We're headed to Kentucky and I think we have a good horse," said co-owner and trainer Tim Martin. "I know he's been running in Iowa but has been beating them pretty bad over there. He's been pretty amazing." The...

Can an Iowa-bred who sold for just $34,000 as a yearling, one who has never raced outside Prairie Meadows or in a graded stakes race, an Iowa-bred that is ridden by a female apprentice jockey and named for an 8-year-old who has been battling leukemia win a Breeders' Cup race? We are about to find out. Tyler's Tribe (Sharp Azteca) may not be the best 2-year-old in training, but no juvenile anywhere this year has thrashed his competition to the extent that this gelding has. After winning last Saturday's Prairie...

A spot in the starting gate for the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint will be on the line in Sunday's GIII Futurity S. at Belmont Park. The Wesley Ward-trained duo of unbeaten Chi Town Lady (Verrazano) and Poppy Flower (Lea), both scratched out of Saturday's loaded GIII Matron S., are the top two choices on the morning-line while taking on the boys here. Keeneland debut winner Chi Town Lady switched to turf following some time on the shelf to add Saratoga's Bolton Landing S. Aug. 18. Poppy Flower, in...

Chicago-based invader One Timer took to the turf Friday to skate into the GII Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar with a guaranteed spot in the starting line-up. A 12 1/2-length debut romper at Arlington back in June over recent GIII Iroquois S. runner-up Tough to Tame (Speightster) and another future stakes performer, the bay paired up 80 Beyer Speed Figures when annexing Woodbine's Victoria S. July 31. He was scratched as a would-be heavy favorite from the Aug. 28 Arlington-Washington Futurity won by stablemate Nobals (Noble Mission {GB}),...

Dakota Gold took to turf and two turns to score an impressive victory in this lucrative event. The chestnut was a 4 1/2-length debut graduate in an open rained-off sprint at Saratoga Sept. 2,  for which he earned a solid 82 Beyer Speed Figure. In receipt of first-time Lasix, Dakota Gold found a stalking position early just behind and outside of odds-on GIII With Anticipation S. scorer Coinage. He settled nicely down the backside behind a :45.56 half mile, and was asked to quicken after six furlongs in 1:10.82. He...

G2 Queen Mary S. winner Quick Suzy (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) will reappear in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville on Aug. 22, with connections deciding to bypass Sunday's G1 Phoenix S. at The Curragh. Trained by Gavin Cromwell, Quick Suzy was purchased privately by the American-based Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners after breaking her maiden at The Curragh on May 3. Joseph Burke, who brokered that deal, said, "She worked well at The Curragh on Tuesday. But having spoken to Gavin, [jockey] Gary Carroll and Aron Wellman--the head of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners--we...