The Turf Sprint, for horses 3-years of age and older, combines both speed and agility for international competitors over six and a half furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

The three horses who earned starting positions in the international Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1), were pre-entered into the race, which attracted 22 prospects for the 5 1/2-furlong race.

Team Valor's homebred Oleksandra (AUS), trained by Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale, won the Jaipur (G1) by a neck on June 20 at Belmont Park.

Breeze Easy's Imprimis, trained by Joe Orseno, won the Runhappy Turf Sprint (G3) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 12 by a neck over the dead-heated runners-up Front Run the Fed and Bombard, who also were pre-entered.

Bearstone Stud homebred Glass Slippers (GB) received her free starting position into the Turf Sprint with a half-length victory in the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes (G1) on Sept. 13 at The Curragh. Glass Slippers, a 4-year-old filly trained by Kevin Ryan, won the 2019 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (G1) and was second by a neck as the 8-5 favorite in that race this year on Oct. 3.

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Gary Barber's Got Stormy, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) last year at Santa Anita, is the 7-2 morning line favorite for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) over 5 ½ furlongs that drew a field of 14 plus four also-eligibles.

Trained by Mark Casse, Got Stormy finished second against males going a mile in two Grade 1 races this year before cutting back to sprints. She responded with a victory going 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs and then a victory at Keeneland in the Franklin County (G3) at 5 ½ furlongs. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post 12.

Top challengers include Breeze Easy's Imprimis and Leinster, owned by Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables and Jean Wilkinson, both listed as 4-1 co-second choices.

Trained by Rusty Arnold, Leinster has won three of four starts over the Keeneland turf course that includes two Grade 2 victories in the Shakertown and Woodford. Luis Saez has the mount and will break from post seven.

Sixth in the Turf Sprint last year at Santa Anita, Imprimis enters the Turf Sprint off a victory in the Runhappy Turf Sprint (G3) at Kentucky Downs. Trained by Joe Orseno, Imprimis won the Shakertown (G2) at Keeneland in 2019 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. and break from post three.

Imprimis jogged twice around the training track at Keeneland Tuesday morning for a scheduled start in Saturday's Turf Sprint with a strong chance to give his trainer Joe Orseno a third career Breeders' Cup success.

"We're going to go to the gate tomorrow, which wasn't in my plans. Seeing we drew post three, I've decided to take him in the gate to stand him," Orseno said. "I really wanted to be further on the outside. You can't do much about it."

Imprimis was rated second in the morning line at 4-1 behind Got Stormy, the 7-2 favorite who finished second in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Mile last year at Santa Anita.

"I'm happy to have Irad [Ortiz Jr.] to ride him. He's a quality rider who knows the horse," Orseno said. "He could get bottled up in there, but he has enough tactical speed for us to really do what we want."

Imprimis, who has won eight of 15 career starts, finished sixth, beaten just four lengths, in last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. After an extended break, the 6-year-old gelding has finished first in his only two starts this year in the Troy at Saratoga and the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint. The son of Broken Vow, however, was disqualified and placed third for drifting in during the stretch run of the Troy while making his first start in nine months.

"There was a lot of disappointment we didn't get the win. I never thought about the money. Yeah, I would have liked to get a bigger commission, but for me, it was: we did all that off that layoff; we got him ready and got him where we wanted him to be; shipped him to Saratoga and for him to win that way... ," Orseno said. "They can't take that race away from him. They can take the first-place away, but the race was what I needed to get and that's what we got out of it. It definitely moved him forward for his next race."

Imprimis was shuffled back in traffic in the stretch run at Kentucky Downs but recovered to mount an impressive drive to score by a neck under Ortiz Jr.

"I had no idea he was trapped down on the inside like that," said Orseno, noting he didn't have a good vantage point while watching the race. "He just rode him out and around. That move he made doing that, picking up horses of that caliber, I told the owner, 'He has to be one of the choices for the Breeders' Cup off that race.' I think he'll peak for this race."

Should Imprimis win the Turf Sprint Saturday, Orseno will enter a Breeders' Cup winner's circle for the first time since 2000, when he saddled Perfect Sting for a win in the Filly & Mare Turf and Macho Uno for a score in the Juvenile at Churchill Downs.

"It would mean a lot. When I went on that run with Stronach [Stables], it was five years and I was in it almost every year. We won two of them and were very competitive - we were third in the Classic with Golden Missile [in 1999]. I thought, 'I'll be doing this every year.' When you don't get to come back, you realize what it's about and what it takes," Orseno said. "I have a conception of what it takes to get a horse ready to do this, but you have to have the horse. A coach is only as good as his players. Right now, we have the right player."

Recent Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint Winners

What is the Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint?

The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing. The distance of the race will vary depending on the host track's turf course requirements.

The Turf Sprint is a fast and furious charge across the downhill turf course and into the homestretch at Santa Anita Park this year. Run at approximately 1400 yards (6.5 furlongs) for horses 3-years of age and older, this race combines both speed and agility for the international competitors. The race was run for the first time in 2008 during the second day of Breeders' Cup racing at that year's host track, Santa Anita Park.

Distance : 6.5 Furlongs

The 2008 race was held at a distance of six and a half furlongs and was contested on Santa Anita's signature El Camino Real "downhill" turf course. In 2008 the race was limited to 14 starters. Besides Santa Anita, the only tracks in North America capable of contesting longer than six and 1/2 furlong turf races are Woodbine and Belmont. Churchill Downs, which has hosted the Breeders' Cup eight times, only conducts turf sprints at 5 furlongs. Breeders' Cup Officials did announce a preferred distance for the race, unlike all other Breeders' Cup races.

Because of technical requirements, it was not eligible for classification as a graded stakes race in its first two runnings. Starting in 2010, it was a Grade II race, and was upgraded to Grade I for 2012.

Automatic Berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed "The Breeders' Cup Challenge," a series of races in each division that alloted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has between three and six of these, "Win and You're In," qualifiers. In the Breeders' Cup Distaff Division there are four automatic births.

2024 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE

• Springboard Mile at Remington Park - Dec 13
• Bet Aqueduct Racetrack | Nov 7 - Dec 29
• Bet Santa Anita Park | Dec 26 - Apr 6
• Bet Tampa Bay Downs | Nov 20 - May 3

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