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Irad Ortiz Jr. celebrates aboard Elite Power after the Sprint.

World Championships
Breeders' Cup Sprint Results

Date: 11/4/2023

Saturday Results Summary (dirt)  -  Saturday Results Summary (turf)  -  F&M Sprint -  Turf Sprint -  Dirt Mile -  F&M Turf -  Sprint -  Mile -  Distaff -  Turf -  Classic
Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

The $2 million Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) featured a field of 8 older sprinters going 6 furlongs. Defending champion Elite Power was sent off as the 8-5 favorite off his Forego (G1) second place finish at Saratoga after winning the Riyadh Dirt Sprint at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, True North (G2) at Belmont, and Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) at Saratoga. In to challenge him included 3-1 second choice Speed Boat Beach, 2nd in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) after winning the Cecil B. DeMille (G3) at Del Mar, and 31-10 third choice Gunite, second in the Parx Dirt Mile after winning the Forego (G1). In a change from the first 39 runnings, the Sprint was the finale rather than the traditional Classic.

Elite Power leads down the stretch

Jockey Mike Smith sent Speed Boat Beach to the lead exiting the chute through fractions of 21.99 and 44.35 while pressed by Gunite and stalked by Elite Power. Into the stretch Speed Boat Beach continued to lead through 5f in 56.40 but tired late. Elite Power under Irad Ortiz Jr. came out 4 wide for room and rallied to win going away by 1 1/2 lengths over Gunite in 1:08.34. It was 1/2 a length more to 26-1 Nakatomi third.

Elite Power wins the Sprint
Pgm  Horse               Jockey            Win   Place  Show
 8   Elite Power          Ortiz,Jr.        5.40    3.60  2.80
 9   Gunite               Gaffalione               4.00  3.40
 1   Nakatomi             Saez                           6.80

Winning Time:  1:08.34

$1 Exacta 8-9                              8.00
$1 Trifecta 8-9-1                         93.80
$1 Superfecta 8-9-1-7                    462.80
Results chart

Left: Elite Power in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Bill Mott said, "It's a difficult job to keep a horse going year after year. To come back and win two Breeders' Cups in a row says a lot about the durability of the horse and the luck that I have. We were lucky enough to have him and he's had a great career. He's off to his new career which will be in the stud barn and we wish him all the best. Irad warmed him up good and he said he wanted to be close to the pace without using him too hard. The rivalry with Gunite was there and he certainly showed up. I thought he was the one we had to beat." 

Right: The trophy presentation for the Sprint. Garrett O'Rourke representing owner Juddmonte Farm said, "Bill would like me to say otherwise, but we're going to retire him to stud. I think he's earned it. He's a very masculine horse, and I bet he'll enjoy it. He's got all the credentials to be a tremendous stallion. I think breeders will just swarm to him. Twice, he's surely sewn up the championship two years in a row, and that's pretty special. Yes, he looked like a fast Curlin, but maybe he ended up being too fast, if that's a fault, which it's not. Maybe I was a little bit wondering, God, surely this horse should stay further, but why do you need to when you're a champion at what you do? I have to thank Bill and all his staff at doing an absolutely masterful job in managing the horse and keeping him because, when this horse came good, by golly, did he stay good. He's gone out good now.

Left: Elite Power heads out to the track. Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said, "I had a beautiful trip. I was in the clear early and the horse took me beautifully right to the quarter pole. I was a good passenger sitting in the passenger's seat until the quarter pole. Then I asked him and he just responded well."

Right: Elite Power heads back to the barn after the race. Mott added, "(Ortiz) said, I'd like to be a little closer without taking too much out of him. I said fine. You know what I mean, he was maybe a little closer than he's been in some of his races. And it worked out. I think, when he switched leads and went into the turn, he started to pick it up on his own, and he put him up in a good position. It looked like then, when he got right on that horse's hip, he kind of waited until he switched leads. Then he asked him the question, and he answered."

Left: Second place finisher Gunite returns after the race. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione said, “I’m very proud of my horse. This was probably the best race he’s run all year.  It’s a shame he got defeated. My hat’s off to the winner. He ran a huge race. At the top of the stretch I thought I was going to get by him (Speed Boat Beach), but obviously, the concern was Elite Power. I was trying to keep him down inside of me on the backstretch, but I peeked in and he disappeared, so I figured he was on my outside. My horse was really running for me.  He gave me his all.

Right: Third place finisher Nakatomi heads out to the tracj. Trainer Wesley Ward said, “He ran great. We’re really happy. Sheikh Fahad sponsors the race and he ran really big to be third. He had to check there at the 3/8 pole. He came around them and came running again. (Going forward to contest the lead) was never the plan.” Jockey Luis Saez added, “He broke from the inside and tried very hard. He was right there and finished strong. Very tough horses in the field but he tried.”

Saturday Results Summary (dirt)  -  Saturday Results Summary (turf)  -  F&M Sprint -  Turf Sprint -  Dirt Mile -  F&M Turf -  Sprint -  Mile -  Distaff -  Turf -  Classic
Friday Results Summary -  Juvenile Turf Sprint -  Juvenile Fillies Turf -  Juvenile Fillies -  Juvenile Turf -  Juvenile  
Wrap Up   -   Entries   -   Monday Works   -   Tuesday Works   -   Wednesday Works   -   Thursday Works

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