Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

This is the first time that the Breeders’ Cup will run a turf sprint. And, wouldn’t you know it? It’s being run down the downhill turf course at Santa Anita!

How crazy is that? The strange thing about the Santa Anita turf course is that there is a patch of dirt at the bottom of the hill right before the horses hit the top of the stretch. Online racebook fans need to think about how that patch of dirt might affect the horse that they like. I’ve seen horses literally bolt to the barn after hitting that patch of dirt.

Let’s get to it!

Race-day: 10/25/2008

Santa Anita – Race 2

Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint

$1,000,000

For Three Year Olds and Up

California Flag - - 7/2 fair online odds

Sure there is a lot of other speed in this race but California Flag not only might be the quickest, but he’s also won twice going down the hill. That makes him a solid favorite in my mind. The turf course at Santa Anita has been favoring speed going down the hill. Flag will have company but he should be in the lead. His record of 4 wins out of 8 starts on the turf tells me that he is a solid play in this. In the Morovich, where he went off 22 to 1, Flag simply ran the rest of the field into the ground. He’s good enough to do the same thing this time.

Mr. Nightlinger - - 4/1 fair online odds

The other speed in this race could wrestle the lead from Flag. Mr. Nightlinger might actually be a better horse than California Flag but he’s never run down the hill. That could be his undoing in this. Nightlinger has won five straight races. That makes him a contender for sure, but I’m not sure how much I really like him in this race. He could be one of those horses that ends up bolting once they hit the dirt patch.

True To Tradition - - 6/1 fair online odds

This son of Rahy has put it together for trainer Scott Lake in his last two races. Unlike Mr. Nightlinger and California Flag, he can rate some. That could help him in this race if the turf is playing more towards closers than frontrunners. He’s a real gritty horse and he isn’t afraid to drive through traffic in order to get to the finish line first. He’s a definite player in this.

Only Answer - - 7/1 fair online odds

Only Answer, like True to Tradition, can rate some as well. Unlike True to Tradition, Only Answer has never faced the type of speed he’s bound to see in this race. He is a Grade III winner in sprints over in Europe and will be in the perfect position early, but once he hits the dirt patch, how is he going to do? Will he just suddenly flounder and give up or will he kick it in and try to run down California Flag and Mr. Nightlingers? His trainer is Andre Fabre. So he would be a nice overlay wager at 7 to 1 or higher.