Last year’s $1M, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (Gr.2) was won by Wesley Ward’s Four Wheel Drive. This year, he sends out four to cut down 5.5 furlongs on the green, with another three on the “Also Eligible” list.
MIGHTY GURKHA: Son of Australian champion Sepoy gets even more Gr1 speed on the bottom side, being out of a daughter of Royal Applause. He’s two-for-six, with a Gr.3 win in the Sirenia Stakes at Kempton on synthetic. Blinkers go on.
WINDY CITY RED: By Sunland Derby (Gr.3) winner Chitu and out of a Gator Hall, by Arkansas Derby victory Graeme Hall, this Wong trainee comes off a show dough effort, beaten just 1/2 length, in the 5.5f Speakeasy at Santa Anita. He had previously won his debut on the synthetic at Golden Gate and the runner-up, Exhalting, has since gone on to win three in a row, winning a grass MdSpWt, a starter allowance on the main at Golden Gate, and OC50k over that oval with Beyer figures of 65, 69, and 78 respectively.
LIPIZZANER: Bred in Kentucky, and a $650K Keeneland September yearling, this now two-year-old is a son of 2010
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile/Eclipse champion two-year-old male Uncle Mo and out of Irish Lights*Aus, a Gr1 winner of The Thousand Guineas in Australia, by Fastnet Rock*Aus. Lipizzaner is a ó brother to Gr1W/Gr1P Omei Sword. He’s already put in 7 starts, all on straight courses, and comes in off victory over heavy ground in the 6f Doncaster Stakes.
COUNTY FINAL: County Final is one of two entries for trainer Steve Amussen. He’s a son of 2013’s Preakness winner Oxbow, who is himself a son of 1998’s Breeders’ Cup Classic champ Awesome Again and out of Tizamazing, a full sister to two-time Classic hero Tiznow. County Final’s dam, Tapajo, is a stakes winning daughter of the prepotent Tapit, and the female family includes Gr.1 black type on the page, as it includes Currency Swap, who won the 2011 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga. County Final won the 5f, off-the-turf edition of the Tyro Stakes and comes into the Breeders’ Cup with a career-best 75 Beyer, finishing 4th, 1- 1/2 lengths behind Second of July in the Gr.3 Futurity on grass.
COWAN: This Steve Asmussen trainee commanded $185K at 2019 Keeneland September Sale and showed talent from the jump, winning his debut at Churchill Downs, going 4.5f on dirt. He’s been over the Keeneland green, too, overcoming a rail draw to finish a length second to Bodenheimer in the Indian Summer Stakes going the same distance as this contest. Precociousness and speed is found within the colt’s family. He’s by Saratoga Special winner Kantharos, and his second dam is a 1/2 sister to 1996 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile/Eclipse champion two-year-old male Boston Harbor. The tree also includes fast phenom Groovy.
UBETTABELIEVEIT: The impressive 3-for-5 record includes wins in the National Stakes at Sandwon and a nose triumph over Queen Mary runner-up Sacred in the Flying Childers (Gr2) at Doncaster. He’s by Kodiac *GB, 3/4 brother to Gr1 sprinter Invincible Spirit and is himself a record-setter in terms of siring two-year-olds. Dam, Lady Lishandra*Ire, is the daughter of another Flying Childers winner in Mujadil.
MOMOS Blinkers go on this son of Distorted Humor who broke his maiden by 6-1/2 lengths going 5.5f over Saratoga’s main track back in July. He finished third next out in the Saratoga Special (Gr.2) before trying grass for the first time in the Futurity Stakes (Gr.3). He sped to the lead, but ultimately finished third, beaten a length. Speed runs in the family. His damsire, Speightstown, won the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Eclipse champion sprinter honors, and Momos is also a 3/4 brother to Mongolian Saturday, who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint over Lady Shipman in 2015 at Keeneland. He’s also a 1/2 brother to Gr.1 winner Daddy’s Lil Darling, whose scores include the American Oaks.
AMANZI YIMPILO Wesley Ward trained this filly’s sire, No Nay Never, winning the Gr2 Norfolk and Gr1 Prix Morny with the colt in an undefeated two-year-old season. No Nay Never would later run second in the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Dam is a daughter of champion runner and sire Galileo. Amanzi Yimpilo comes into the race with a record of 2-for-3, beating the boys last out in the 5.5f Speakeasy Stakes.
AFTER FIVE This son of the speedy Gr.1 winner The Factor has yet to get a win in two starts, but ran close runner-ups in both instances, just a 1/2 length off Second of July last out in the Gr.3 Futurity. Mom is a stakes winning daughter of Olmodavor and hails from the female family of champions Heavenly Cause and, relevantly to this year’s Breeders’ Cup, Monomoy Girl, who will be seeking a repeat in this Saturday’s Distaff.
BODENHEIMER Bodenheimer wired the field last out in the Indian Summer going 5.5f at Keeneland last out, getting an 82 Beyer for the effort, a figure he put up on debut back in July at Canterbury Park. He’s a Washington bred son of Gr.2 winning sprinter Atta Boy Roy and 1/2 brother to Del Mar Juvenile Turf and Zuma Beach winner King of Speed. Mom, Beautiful Daniele, is a stakes-winning daughter of 1992’s Breeders’ Cup Classic champion and Hall of Famer A.P. Indy. Grandma is an unraced daughter of 1985’s BC Juvenile runner-up and prepotent sire Storm Cat and is a ó sister to 1997’s Juvenile Fillies victress Countess Diana.
INTO THE SUNRISE Into the Sunrise was a $325K Keeneland September Yearling. Dad is Into Mischief, a Gr.1 winner of the CashCall Futurity at two, and ó brother to four-time Eclipse Champion Beholder, who won the 2012 Juvenile Fillies, the 2013 Distaff, and the Distaff again in 2016. Into Mischief is also a 1/2 brother to another Breeders’ Cup champion in 2017’s Juvenile Turf winner Mendelssohn. Mom, Bellini Sunrise, is a sister to Holzmeister. Grandma is an SW/multiple Gr.1-placed daughters of the blistering fast Danzig named Harbour Club, and the family also includes Gr.1 winner Game Face. Colt cuts back down to 5.5 after attempting to wire the field in the Gr.2 Bourbon at Keeneland.
DIRTY DANGLE This filly will be taking on boys for the first time, switching to the Mark Casse barn after winning the 5f Woodbine Cares, taking her record to 2-for-2. She’s by ultra-hot freshman sire Not This Time, who was a neck 2nd in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile of 2016 after a bad start. Not This Time is, notably, a 1/2 brother to Liam’s Map, who set a record winning the 2015 Dirt Mile at Keeneland. Dirty Dangle’s dam, Chambray, is by Alphabet Soup, who won the 1996 Classic by a nose at Woodbine, posting a 115 Beyer.
Here is Full Runner list for 2020
And we hope you will also enjoy taking a second look at last year's race which was won by Four Wheel Drive