A full field of 14 older horses went to post in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, run at 5 furlongs on the turf at Churchill Downs. Silver Timber, winner of the Woodford (G3) at Keeneland, was the 3-1 favorite over 6-1 second choice Rose Catherine, winner of four in a row including the Turf Amazon Handicap at Philadelphia and one of two fillies in the race, and 7-1 third choice Chamberlain Bridge, fourth in the Woodford after winning the Turf Monster.
The cavalry charge down the stretch with Chamberlain Bridge second from the outside
9-1 Central City battled for the lead with 11-1 Stradivinsky down the backstretch and around the turn through fractions of 21.59 and 44.60 over the firm course, with 14-1 Bridgetown stalking them in third. Central City turned back a challenge from Bridgetown at the 1/16 pole, but was no match for Chamberlain Bridge who closed from 9th, took over 50 yards out and drew off to win by 1 1/2 lengths in 56.53. It was another 1 1/4 lengths back from Central City to late-running 10-1 Central City third. Favorite Silver Timber finished fifth beaten 2 3/4 lengths.
Chamberlain Bridge wins the Turf Sprint
Pgm Horse Jockey Win Place Show
1 Chamberlain Bridge Theriot 15.80 8.20 5.60
2 Central City Albarado 9.80 7.80
4 Unzip Me Bejarano 7.00
Winning Time: :56.53
$2 Exacta 1-2 156.20
$2 Trifecta 1-2-4 1,393.60
$1 Superfecta 1-2-4-7 8,815.40
Left: Chamberlain Bridge heads to the winner's circle. Trainer Bret Calhoun said, "Jamie has been riding this horse for years for us. He knows this horse inside and out. We had to have a lot of luck. Jamie had to have a very brave ride to kind of pick his way through. He was in a lot of traffic, and this horse really doesn't fire his best race until he gets in the clear. As soon as he was able to find him a crease and get clear, you know, it was over with."
Right: Chamberlain Bridge returns after the race. Jockey Jamie Theriot said, "My horse broke somewhat decent today and kind of let me work his way out. And I did jump. He was in a very tight spot around the turn at 3's pole, and it was my chance of winning. If I don't take that chance, my seam was there. My horse went on and gave me his heart there. Turned for home and found the seam. This horse when he gets outside of horses in the daylight, he just finds multiple gears."
Left: Second place finisher Central City returns after the race. Trainer Ronny Werner said, "He ran a big race and he got beat. I hate running second, but it's better than third I guess. You got to give it to the winner." Jockey Robby Albarado added, "He had them all the way around until the other horse came at him. My horse ran all the way to the wire. Nobody's faster than he is. I got a little breather on the turn and his ears were up. He came home hard. The winner is a really classy horse. He beat (Central City) the last time they ran at Churchill."
Right: Third place finisher Unzip Me returns after the race. Trainer Marty Jones said, "She ran a great race. She battled
on bravely. She just took a little while to find her stride and she kind of lost some position, but once he finally got her in a comfortable position, then she really accelerated. They just kind of got the jump on her. It might be a little too short for her. I think she will run farther than that. I was real proud of her effort."
Left: Fifth place finisher and beaten favorite Silver Timber in the post parade. He bobbled at the start, was 7th down the backstretch and 4 lengths off the pace, then had traffic trouble and could not rally, finishing 5th beaten just 2 3/4 lengths under jockey Julien Leparoux.
Right: The horses for the Turf Sprint warm up in front of the packed grandstand.
Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - There were 9 races Saturday highlighted by the $5 million Classic where Fort Larned won by a half length over Mucho Macho Man. Also on the card, favorites Wise Dan won the Mile and Shanghai Bobby won the Juvenile. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
Breeders' Cup Friday Results - There were 6 races Friday highlighted by the Ladies' Classic where favorite Royal Delta held off My Miss Aurelia to win for the second year in a row and the Filly and Mare Turf where Zagora was an upset winner. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 6 races here.
2012 Breeders' Cup Entries - Lots of info about the Breeders' Cup, each race, links to profiles for all the horses entered, and info about each race. Free Past Performances - for all the races
Thursday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 49 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on Thursday morning at Santa Anita. The Europeans were out of quarantine and the east coasters delayed by Hurricane Sandy finally arrived, so it was a very busy morning.
Wednesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 34 of the Breeders' Cup horses out in the fog on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita. The sun didn't make it out until 8:30am and visibility was quite poor at times.
Tuesday Breeders' Cup Workout Photos - Photos and comments for 69 of the Breeders' Cup horses out on the track Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, including Classic favorite Game On Dude and 7 more of the Classic horses.
Breeders' Cup Weather - What will the weather be like at Santa Anita Park on November 2 and 3? Here are lots of places to find out!
2011 Breeders' Cup Saturday Results - The feature race was the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic where Drosselmeyer was an upset winner. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 9 races here.
2011 Breeders' Cup Friday Results - Friday was headlined by the $2 million Ladies Classic (formerly the Distaff) won by Royal Delta. Get the results, charts, and photos for all 6 races here.
Review: Crushing the Cup 2012 - by Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett. An invaluable tool for trying to unlock the mysteries of handicapping the Breeders' Cup races at Santa Anita updated for 2012.
Breeders' Cup History - Historical info, past results, and photos from previous runnings
The Breeders' Cup Championship Day - The official page for the Breeders' Cup championship races. Just about anything you need to know about it: results, video clips, and race calls for past years, and eventually nominations, entries, and results.
Free Prep Replays - for major prep races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge. The ones with camera logos have video available.
Blazing Silks, Breeders' Cup Edition- an interactive social network game that allows horse racing fans and social gamers to train and care for Thoroughbred horses.
Left: Chamberlain Bridge heads to the winner's circle. Trainer Bret Calhoun said, "Jamie has been riding this horse for years for us. He knows this horse inside and out. We had to have a lot of luck. Jamie had to have a very brave ride to kind of pick his way through. He was in a lot of traffic, and this horse really doesn't fire his best race until he gets in the clear. As soon as he was able to find him a crease and get clear, you know, it was over with."
Left: Second place finisher Central City returns after the race. Trainer Ronny Werner said, "He ran a big race and he got beat. I hate running second, but it's better than third I guess. You got to give it to the winner." Jockey Robby Albarado added, "He had them all the way around until the other horse came at him. My horse ran all the way to the wire. Nobody's faster than he is. I got a little breather on the turn and his ears were up. He came home hard. The winner is a really classy horse. He beat (Central City) the last time they ran at Churchill."
