Straight no hunter wants to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. (Ernie Belmonte/Beyond the Wire)
Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Sunday; Dr. Venkman, Speed Boat Beach between important rivals
Santa Anita Press Box
Arcadia, Calif. – a year ago, No hunter Parlayed a victory in the Grade II Santa Anita Sprint Championship with victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to achieve the Eclipse Award as the excellent sprinter of North -America. He will try to duplicate that achievement this year, starting with a title defense in the $ 200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship that will go on the Great Race Place on the Great Race Place on Sunday.
Straight No Chaser is one of a field of eight introduced in this year’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship, which serves as a “victory and you are in” for the $ 2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint November 1 in del Mar. Other important contenders in the Line -up are Dr. Venkman, winner of the Gii Pat O’Brien last month Seven Furlongs at del Mar; And degree I winner Speed BOOCH, who set the pace in the Pat O’Brien before he faded to the fifth as a favorite.
For straight No Chaser, this will be his first start in the US since his half -length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last year in Del Mar. Trained by Dan Blacker for owner My Racehorse, Straight No Chaser went to Saudi Arabia in February for his return to the race and immediately scored in the Gii Riyad Dirt Sprint. He then went to Dubai, where he finished a disappointing eighth in the Gi Dubai Golden Shaheen six weeks later. Both races were also six Furlongs.
A 6-year-old horse from Speightster, Straight No Chaser is 12: 7-0-1 with $ 2,636,300. Hall of Fame Jockey John Velazquez comes to the West for his regular call at the reigning sprint champion.
Dr. Venkman Won the Pat O’Brien with half a length when he came along the inside from the pace under Umberto Rispoli. It was the second effort of Dr. Venkman and the first effort won in a sprint. Last year the 5-year-old gelding of Ghostzapper scored in the Gii San Diego 1 1/16 miles on del Mar.
Dr. Venkman is trained by Mark Glatt for owners Alipony Racing, Dan J. Agnew, Clint Bunch and James Hailey. In three starts this year prior to the Pat O’Brien, Dr. Venkman second in both the GIII Triple Bend in Santa Anita and Giii Kelly’s landing in Churchill Downs, and celebrated in the Gi Bing Crosby in del Mar. He has a general record of 10: 4-0 with $ 661,300 in win.
Speed Boat Beach In the Pat O’Brien, opening fractions of 22.53 and 44.87 seconds faded before he faded in the piece under Juan Hernandez. On Sunday he will have a new driver, because trainer Bob Baffert Hall of Famer Mike Smith has appointed Ride Speed Boat Beach. Hernandez will jump on board Stablemate Imagination, which was a supplemented access to the field after he was not originally nominated.
The only other start of Speed Boat Beach this year was in Churchill Downs in May. Returning from a 15-month dismissal in the Six-Furlong St. Mathews overnight stays, the 5-year-old Bayern horse quickly flashed speed before fading in a field of 10 horses. He comes in with a record of 9: 4-1-0 with $ 504,350 and in wins for owners by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman.
The Gii Santa Anita Sprint
First post Sunday is 1 pm access gates will open at 11 am
#hunter #set #title #defense