Breeders’ Cup Gambling - Sentient Flight Breeders’ Cup Sprint

Like every year the Breeders’ Cup Sprint has come up loaded with speed. I mean, loaded with speed.

But online racebook fans shouldn’t fool themselves. Just because a race is loaded with speed, it doesn’t mean that the best speed horse can’t win. Think Artax in 1999 or Squirtle Squirt in 2001. Then, of course, there was Orientate in 2002.

All three of those horses ran up front and all three of them had to face what amounted to insane pressure before winning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.

That might not happen on the Pro-Ride surface, but it definitely could if the right speed horse with the right tactics draws the right post.

Let’s get to it!

Race-day: 10/25/2008

Santa Anita - - Race 7

Sentient Flight Breeders’ Cup Sprint

$2,000,000

For Three Year Olds and Up

Cost of Freedom - - 5/1 fair online odds

My father, former Command Sergeant Major Gary L. Williamson, made a nice sized wager on Cost of Freedom when the horse won the Grade I Ancient Title. He believed that Cost of Freedom had made the jump in his previous race and from now until he retires should be a horse to reckon with in sprints. I didn’t agree before the Ancient Title. But I agree now. The thing about Cost of Freedom is that he has the ability to lie right off of the pace. The Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita is playing towards speed. Horses that like to close, like Street Boss, will have trouble in this race. Cost of Freedom, should he break from an advantageous post, should be able to sit right off and then make a big run at the top of the stretch. That might be enough for him to pull off what could be a huge upset.

Fatal Bullet - - 5/1 fair online odds

The speed of the speed of the speed should be able to either get a lead or run the rest of the speed horses in this into submission. I love the way he is coming into this race and nobody comes close to his last out speed rating in their last races. But so far in his career the only graded race he has won has been a Grade III. He’s going to face some seriously tough horses in this. He’s dicey at what figures to be short odds.

Street Boss - - 6/1 fair online odds

The toast of summer racing on the West Coast finished second to Cost of Freedom in the Ancient Title. Street Boss will forever be a victim of his style. He has a phenomenal turn of foot, but the problem is that he sports the rest of the field so many freaking lengths he almost has to go at least five wide around the final turn in order to catch the horses in front of him. He’s been involved in way to many close calls because of that style. I can’t endorse because he’s going to be one of the favorites in this. Can he win? Of course he can! Will he win? I’m not so sure.

Midnight Lute - - 6/1 fair online odds

Let’s say that the speed doesn’t hold, that Fatal Bullet and Cost of Freedom pack it in before the eighth pole, what happens? Midnight Lute could very well waltz home a second time victor in this race. Like Street Boss his style tends to get him in to trouble. The difference between the two is that when Midnight Lute is good, he’s one of the best sprinters the sport has ever seen. Take a look at his race in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint and you will see what I mean.