Who Is Fastest of the Fast in BB Juvenile Turf Sprint?

There is speed to burn in the Breeders’ Bowl Juvenile Turf Sprint. The five furlong race will be a jockey’s race with so many horses in the field who want to run wire to wire which should set things up for the few horses who have tactical speed or those who fall way back but have an explosive stretch kick. We’ve got two fillies in the field and both have decent shots to take down the boys but overall the field is very evenly matched. Let’s take a look at them.

#1 Hard Take 6/1

The only horse in the field who has run in a claiming race comes from one of the best barns in the game, that of Dixiedotco. Hard Take made his debut for a $150,000 tag and luckily for his connections was not snatched up. The decision to run this gelding for a tag first time out likely had to do with his pedigree. He’s a son of All Too Hard out of the stakes winning millionaire Opinion Column. Dixie says “Normally I wouldn’t breed one of my local-bred type mares but in this case she was so accomplished I had to at least give it a shot. And she does have a pretty nice pedigree for a local runner, being by Square Eddie who is one of the all time best CA sires and out of a Storm Cat x A.P. Indy mare. She was an eight time stakes winner and millionaire so she deserved the opportunity.” Dixie said he was looking for a value sire and really liked what All Too Hard has done lately in Australia as a sire of sprinters and middle distance horses. Hard Take has done very well for his trainer as he’s won four of five career starts including his last two, a listed with a 93 speed and the Grade Two Miller Reef Stakes with a 94, both run at six furlongs. Most of his races have seen him on the lead from the start although in the Miller Reef he battled for it in second before taking over. Dixie says “he kees improving with every start and his speed should play well at the distance. There are other speed horses in the race but he’s shown he can fight it out on the front end and keep going. Looking for more of the same!”

#2 United Japan 12/1

United Japan is looking to improve his speeds as well but he is a very classy gelding. He won the Grade Three Mother Lois in June by going gate to wire, battling early on and holding off the closers to win by a quarter of a length. He tried the same tactics in the Grade One Nonethorpe next time out but fell to Eruption Column by three quarters of a length when third. Given a bit of a class break United Japan won a very solid listed stakes in which he didn’t make the early lead although he battled for it, showing determination and holding for a half length win. He ran a career best 88 speed in that spot, which again is a bit slower than some of his rivals but not too far off. Notably his last three starts all came at this five furlong distance whereas many of his rivals will be cutting back in distance. He’s a son of The United States out of the stakes winning Deep Impact x Manndar mare Japan Property. He is the ninth foal for his dam and her first stakes winner.

#3 Red Churchill 12/1

Red Churchill is one horse who will be cutting back in distance. He ran five furlongs twice at the beginning of his career, winning on debut before finishing off the board in an allowance. His biggest win came in the six and a half furlong Grade One Unlimited Corral where he made all the running to win by a length. In that spot he outfinished Golden Speedway who recently scored in a grade one. Red Churchill won his next start as well, the Grade Three Railaway with a career best 89 speed. He’s been off the board in two subsequent starts, both at the grade one level. Hes a son of Churchill out of the stakes winning Red Arrow x Zabeel mare Red Fletcher and is her second foal.

#4 Lube 11/1

The first of our two fillies in the field is Lube. She has tried the boys one other time. Two starts back she ran in the Grade One Nonethorpe but finished seventh. She rebounded from that race to win the Grade One Chevel against her own sex. She raced well back in the field that day before mowing down the front runners in the stretch to win by a half length with an 89 speed. Prior to the Nonethorpe she was a solid second in the Grade Two Why You Buggin Stakes at this distance. In that race her late run fell just a half length short but finishing behind her was a next out grade one winner, IDK Just A Myth. Lube debuted in a stakes race and has only run at that level in her career. She’s a daughter of Wootton Bassett out of the stakes winning Trippi x War Front mare On All Fours. This is her third foal all of whom are stakes winners including another grade one winner by No Nay Never named Neither. Neither won the Breeders’ Bowl Filly Juvy Turf back in 2020.

#5 Snow Market 12/1

Snow Market is looking to break through at the graded level in this spot but he’s been steadily knocking on the door. After winning his first listed back in June he’s run in three straight graded stakes and come very close without quite getting the job done. His best finish came in his first try, the Grade Three Golden HandGrenade at seven furlongs where he lead from the start only to succumb at the very end to finish second by half a length. He followed that up with a third in the Grade One Golden Shoe where he did not make the early lead and most recently was third, beaten a length in the Grade Three Cornwall Stakes at this distance. He is going to be faced with a lot of pace pressure in this spot and he has shown that he can duke it out early but to be effective against this level of competition he’ll have to learn to rate a bit given his history. He’s a son of Jon Snow out of the graded placed stakes winning After Market x Galileo mare Solar Market. He is her first stakes winner.

#6 Unfarnan 7/1

A dual grade one winner, Unfarnan is proudly owned by Ffoslas. Both of those top level wins came in his most recent two starts. The first was the More Nay in August in which he allowed the early pace setters to battle it out while keeping them in his sights before pouncing and winning by a length with a 91 speed. He used the same strategy in his more recent race, the Middlepark Stakes but he allowed the leaders to get a bit farther in front but the result was the same, an easy win with a 96 speed. Those speeds are tops for this field and with his proven class there is no question he’s a legitimate threat here. Ffoslas bred him based on an attraction to his sire Farnan who he describe as being “a very .fast Australia bred. He has a great reputation (and not inconsiderable talent).” Ffoslas scratchbred the colt and used El Prado as DDS, whom he considered “a shoo-in for DDS with dominant turf lines and consistently in the top 20 sires. He maintains rank 42 as DS and his progeny are almost evenly split between sprinters and routers.” For DS he went with Unufwain “an underused DS probably because his dirt/turf ratio leans slightly to the former surface…but top quality turf sprint sires are not cheap! (Unfuwain) is also regarded as a router but he has one outstanding quality – he’s cheap!” Ffoslas says about the field “we have fourteen very good young colts vying for the top prize – may the best one win.”

#7 Flying Kegger 6/1

Second choice in this field is this Lawman gelding who represents the sixth time his Flying Spur x Ferdinand dam has visited that sire. Three of those siblings are stakes winners, as is another half brother. He has more starts than any other entrant in the field with twelve but has only won twice. One of those wins came two starts back in a listed going a mile and a sixteenth where he ran wire to wire and finished first by two lengths with an 88 speed. He returned to run in a grade three going a mile and an eighth but his early speed did not hold and he finished fifth, hence the drop down in distance here. At sprint distances he is three times graded placed going six and seven furlongs. The best of those runs came in the Grade One More Nay at six furlongs which he dropped by just a length when second. He was closer at the finish in the Grade Two Nationwide Stakes in September when he was beaten in third by just a quarter of a length. His speed of 89 there was solid although and considering he dropped slightly off of that in his next two starts that could be indicative of him preferring the shorter distances, although five furlongs may be a bit too short for him.

#8 The Reverse Flash 8/1

The Reverse Flash began his career in two residency restricted races for Universal Racing Club. He was second in a maiden before breaking his maiden at the stakes level going six furlongs. He immediately jumped into open company – and graded company – next out in the Grade Two Coventry Steaks where he finished a strong second with a 90 speed. He closed strongly from tenth that day and was in a similar spot in his next start, the Grade One Firebird but was a bit further behind than in the Coventry. Nevertheless he stormed home to score the victory with an 87 speed, winning by three parts of a length. Most recently he ran a similar race in the Grade One Golden Shoe but he lacked his usual closing kick and while he did put in a run it was only good enough to get up for sixth. Still he was only beaten two and a half lengths in what was a strong field. He’s a gelded son of Deep Field out of the stakes winning I Am Invincible x Lope de Vega mare Invincible Flash and is her first stakes winner from four foals.

#9 Never Been There 14/1

Winner of the Grade One Golden Shoe is Never Been There. He has never been off the board in six career starts and has won four of those. The Golden Shoe was won wire to wire with a 90 speed and the fourteen horse field featured two other grade one winners (The Reverse Flash and Red Churchill, both of whom return here) as well as four other stakes winners. That win lands Never Been There at the top of the End of Year chart for the two year old turf colts and only Unfarnan can threaten a win for him. Prior to the Golden Shoe, Never Been There was a winner of the Grade Two Rich Man which was won in similar fashion. In the only race where he failed to lead early he was third in the Grade Three Mother Lois and was beaten by over two lengths so he’ll have to show either the most speed or an ability to rate and then kick on in order to win here. He’s a son of Al Kazeem out of a The Autumn Sun x Zabeel mare and is her first foal.

#10 Spirit of Prague 15/1

Spirit of Prague has won both of his starts at this distance, a maiden on debut and then the Grade Two Northfellow Stakes in June where he defeated Unfarnan. He also has a listed win going six furlongs but the feeling here is that he is probably better going a littl eshorter. His first two starts saw him win going wire to wire but in that listed he showed a new dimension, sitting midpack early on before commencing his run. That was the same style he employed in the Northfellow but was further behind in his most recent starts. He was off the board in the Grade One More Nay and then a solid third in the Grade Two Miller Reef Stakes. He improved his speed by double digits between those two starts as he ran a 90 speed in the latter. He’ll need to improve again here but he’s shown he’s a classy colt. He’s a son of Prague out of the graded placed stakes winning English Channel x Caerleon mare Channel A Spirit. She has produced four other stakes winners but Spirit of Prague is her first graded winner.

#11 I Owe Back Taxes 11/1

If I Owe Back Taxes were a real horse he would have paid off the back taxes trainer Jdawg owes to the IRS but alas his nearly $700,000 in earnings is only in sim bucks. Jdawg has been playing the game from the beginning and this colt is his first Breeders’ Bowl entrant. The colt began his career in a residency restricted maiden which he won by a head and three starts later he scored his next victory in his graded stakes debut, the Grade Three Triple P at six furlongs. He wired the field that day but has shown he has the ability to sit just off the pace and run well. Jdawg notes “there’s early speed in this race and my horse is one of them so if he can improve on his sp numbers then my chances of finishing in the top three should be good.” I Owe Back Taxes has run twice more at six furlongs, finishing second by a quarter of a length in the Grade Two Rich Man with an 85 speed and then winning the Grade One Blue Diamond Road by a length and a half with an 89 speed. In the latter race he pressed the early leader before taking over around the turn and coasting to the wire, suggesting there may be more in the tank. He’s a son of Tarzino, a New Zealand sire out of the grade two winning Star Witness x Smart Strike mare Star of the Year. She has produced three other foals including a grade two winner. Jdawg has “a lot of success with cheap sires and was looking for a cheap sire that had some upside with recent stakes wins or place and ran in to Tarzino.” The mating with his best turf mare has proven a good one for him, even if he still owes the IRS.

#12 Risky Opponent 11/1

With eleven runs under his belt Risky Opponent is one of the more experienced horses in the race. He began his career in a listed race which was part of a series for The Mecca residency. That race produced two other graded winners as well as a listed winner. He finished second that day, beaten just a half length while closing from the clouds. He broke through next time out in an open allowance before switching surface to the dirt for two races. Both produced on the board efforts in listeds but he failed to show the same explosive kick that he had on the turf. After bouncing between surfaces for a few races he scored the biggest win of his career in the Grade Two July Stakes. Run on the turf at six furlongs he got up by a head and ran an 85 speed. Since that race he’s been off the board in three graded stakes but he did run a career best 86 speed in his most recent start, the Grade One Deutoburst Stakes at seven furlongs. He’s a son of Kapersky out of a Not A Single Doubt x Royal Academy mare. He’s her second foal and first stakes winner.

#13 Spiro Guapo 13/1

The second filly in the field is Spiro Guapo and she’s the only horse in the race who is looking for her first stakes win. The late runner has finished second in her last two starts, both grade ones against fellow fillies. As trainer Deyoto said “she (finishes) flying….I just thought I’d give her a shot as it’s the BB.” Both of her recent races saw her run solid speeds even if they were against fillies. The first was the More Glare Stakes at seven furlongs in which she ran an 87 speed. She improved one point in the Chevel at six furlongs and was beaten only half a length by Lube. With all of the early speed in this spot this Spiro Guapo does not need to make a big leap forward to score. She’s a daughter of Capitalist that Deyoto describes as “a gun young Aussie sire.” Deyoto describes her female family humbly as “she’s from a successful female line” but what he doesn’t say is that her second dam is Hall of Famer Hataka. One of Hataka’s three graded winning offspring is Breeders’ Bowl Filly Juvy Turf winner Akatah (Giant’s Causeway). Spiro Guapo’s dam is the graded placed stakes winning Zoustar x Exceed and Excel mare Zoutaka and this is her second foal.

#14 Eruption Column 11/1

If there is a horse in the field who really loves this distance it is Eruption Column. He’s won twice at five furlongs and finished second by a neck in a third try. His biggest win came in the Grade One Nonethorpe last time out where he won the five furlong race by coming from midpack to score by three quarters of a length with an 89 speed. Prior to that he also won the Grade Two Bobby Papin at five and a half furlongs where he was third early on but won by the same amount. That was his second of three straight stakes wins and his speeds have improved progressively in each from an 82 in a listed to an 84 and then an 89 in the Nonethorpe. His tactical speed will serve him well with all the front runners in this race. He’s a son of Pinatubo out of a Speightstown x Dansili mare and is her second foal. His second dam is a blue hen who has produced nine foals, one of which is a grade two winner and five others are stakes winners.

Good luck to all!