Breeders' Cup Sprint 2016: Double-Barreled Baffert

A compact field of nine was pre-entered to contest the 33^rd Breeders’ Cup Sprint next Saturday at Santa Anita. They are headed by the Bob Baffert-trained duo of Lord Nelson and Drefong, but East Coast-invader A.P. Indian shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Lord Nelson rides a 4-race winning streak (3 at Santa Anita) coming into the Sprint with the last 3 coming against Grade 1 company. The 4-year-old son of Pulpit was very impressive in his last prep for the Breeders’ Cup when he scored a decisive 2 ½ length score in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship. The most impressive item on his resume is the fact that he’s undefeated at the distance throughout his career, while facing top notch competition all along. The race favorite seems to be firing on all cylinders logging 2 bullet workouts with in the last week (6 furlongs in 1:12 on Oct. 26 and 4 furlongs in 46 3/5 on Oct. 20).

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What stablemate Drefong lacks in experience, he makes up in bunches with talent. While only having 5 lifetime starts, he too enters with a 4-race winning streak. The King’s Bishop (G-1) victor appears to be training well up to the race, as evidenced by his 3 bullet workouts in his last four morning gallops. While there are other front runners, Drefong is the speed of the speed and will have to be caught down the stretch.

A.P. Indian travels to California with the title of the East Coast’s top sprinter. A winner of his last 5, A.P. Indian scored in Saratoga’s most prestigious stakes for older sprinters (A.G. Vanderbilt and Forego). Both trainer Arnaud Delacour and jockey Joe Bravo are attempting to capture their first Breeders’ Cup race with the 6-year-old gelding.

For those who think California Chrome has a blue-collar pedigree, the lineage of Masochistic must look like something straight out of the Beverly Hillbillies. Bred in California from a sire (Sought After) and dam (Trotinette) that never saw the track, Masochistic is a multiple graded stakes winner and earner of over $700,000. While he must be respected, 6 furlongs is not his best distance (5-1-1-0) and tends to falter against the cream of the crop (14^th in last year’s Sprint).

One big absence from this year Sprint is 2015 champion, Runhappy. In his only start this year, the Eclipse Award winner faded to 4^th in the Ack Ack Stakes (G-3) at Churchill Downs. Yet, the unpredictable leadership team decided that was sufficient enough to press forward and garner an entry in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

While the winner of the Sprint should come from the top 4 mentioned, there are still others with worthy credentials to lay claim to the country’s top sprinter.

Joking comes off a win in a muddy version of the Vosburgh (G-1) at Belmont and in the process provides owner/trainer Charlton Baker and jockey Manny Franco with their first Breeders’ Cup starter.

Delta Bluesman enters by way of victory in the Win And You’re In Smile Stakes (G-2) back in July. He is the only horse to hand A.P. Indian a loss this year when he bested him in the Decathlon Stakes at Monmouth Park last May.

Limousine Liberal was a nose from handing A.P. Indian his 2^nd loss of the year last out when the 2 hooked up in a great rendition of the Phoenix Stakes (G-2) at Keeneland on Oct. 7. Keeneland’s track record holder at 6 ½ furlongs will try to improve on his 11^th-place finish in the 2015 Sprint.

Noholdingback Bear was 3^rd behind Drefong at 25/1 in the King’s Bishop and returned to take the Gallant Bob (G-3) at Parx earlier this month. While he will be one of the longest shots in the field, he has good tactical speed and is improving with every start.

Outsider Mind Your Biscuits was 2^nd to Noholdingback Bear last out, but will have to improve dramatically to make an impact. His only victory at 6 furlongs was a NY-bred allowance at Belmont Park on July 4^th.