JUVENILE SPRINT PREVIEW
The second running of the Juvenile Sprint kicks off the Breeders’ Cup on
Friday’s program.
There are seven entrants, including two fillies, and all eyes will be on this
early race due to the new Lasix ban for all of the 2yo races. Six horses will be
running sans medication after competing on Lasix in their previous starts.
The lone European entrant, the filly Ceiling the Kitty, is the lone member of
the field not to race on Lasix. But she gets no respect on the morning line as a
12-1 outsider.
Speed figures to will play well in this event given how front-runners have
had the preferred run style at the distance during the entire Santa Anita meet.
The race took a hit, losing plenty of early speed, when that talented fillies
Beholder and Kauai Katie both wound up being entered in the Juvenile Fillies
instead.
Merit Man and Super Ninety Nine, a pair of lightly-raced colts, head the
short Juvenile Sprint field.
Merit Man is unbeaten in two starts for Bob Hess Jr., including a 5
1/2-length score in the local prep, the Tim Conway Stakes. He is listed as the
9-5 choice on the morning line.
Super Ninety Nine is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who won the first
running of the Juvenile Sprint with Secret Circle. The chestnut is a
good-looking Pulpit colt who exits an impressive debut maiden special weight win
over the Santa Anita track on October 7, and was installed as the 2-1 second
favorite.
An interesting play in the race has to be South Floyd, who is owned by the
University of Louisville’s basketball coach, Rick Pitino. The ultra-quick colt
has shown high speed in both starts, winning his first race by four lengths
before finishing second in the Tim Conway, and he is trained by Kentucky Derby
and Preakness winner Doug O’Neill. South Floyd will look to steal the race on
the front end with new jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Sweet Shirley Mae, one of the two fillies facing males here, is also the only
participant based in New York. Sweet Shirley Mae ran well when second in the
Spinaway last time, but she did miss a scheduled prep for the Breeders’ Cup when
being forced to scratch from in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 6 after acting
up terribly in the starting gate.
Recent claimer Hazardous and the maiden Hightail round out the field.