G1 Sydney Sprint: King of the Oasis & Tonatiuh Shock Challenge the Champ for Turf Sprint Division Supremacy

Defense Wins Races won the 2015 turf sprint championship thanks to victories in four Grade I turf sprints: the July Cup and King Kong Sprint at six furlongs and the King’s Fall and Longchamp Sprint at five furlongs.  His 2016 campaign started poorly with an uncharacteristic 4th in the G1 Pekays followed by an SF 104 3rd place finish against listed company.  This writer called on him to move up in his last, the G1 Sand Castle Turf Sprint in Dubai, and he came through with a promising performance.  Breaking from the outside post in a full field of 14, this son of Snitzel came charging from midpack to finish a fast-closing second by three-quarters of a length.  The speed figure (110) was his best of the year and the winner of over $2.5 million lifetime appears to be back on track.  The champ is listed at 6-1 on the morning line and breaks from post #6 in Saturday’s Grade I Sydney Sprint at six furlongs.

Two strong challengers who would love to take the turf sprint title away from Defense Wins Races have shipped to Queensland to meet him. 

Last year’s winner of the Sydney Sprint, King of the Oasis (11-1), was fantastic last month in a Grade I win in neighboring Victoria.  He pressed the pace and won in style (SF 112) at six furlongs in the Ye Ole Shopping Exchange.  The Oasis Dream scratch-bred beat a fantastic field here last year and has always done his best running here in Australia.  While his last win was over a pretty weak field, it was his third career Grade I win and his class is undeniable.  He’s drawn just outside of Defense Wins Races in post #7.

Four year-old Tonatiuh Shock (10-1, post #11) is a relative newcomer to the division.  Six-for-twelve lifetime and a winner of over $1.3 million, Shocking’s only Grade I winner has been nothing short of brilliant since moving up to the graded stakes platform late in his three year-old season.  He won the G2 Ascot Vail last October wire-to-wire (SF 112) before running a strong third to Defense Wins Races in the G1 King Kong Sprint.  He has since annexed the Grade I Pekays Remembrance S. and New Market H. (both at six furlongs).  Dam Fire Shield was quite a turf sprinter herself, winning the G2 Triangular Sprint Cup at five furlongs two years in a row in New South Wales.  This is her first Grade I winner though Tonatiuh Shock’s half-brother Sannhet (Ouragan) won a Grade 3 race at a mile.  Tonatiuh Shock’s last four races all look good enough to win this and his connections will no doubt expect him to move to the head of the turf sprint class in his biggest test thus far.

The other Grade 1 winner in the field is #13 Zabrathan (10-1).  The scratch-bred took the G1 Golden Goose Sprint last May in South Africa and the G1 Teleprompter Cap (both SF 108) and is very much a specialist at this distance.  Of concern, however, is what has happened to his form since the Golden Goose: in four graded stakes races, he’s done no better than 5th and no faster than a speed figure of 106.  Is this five year-old past his best?

The Sydney Sprint is shaping up to be the biggest event on the turf sprint schedule to date.  In addition to the four aforementioned Grade I winners in the field, five other graded stakes winners will enter the starting gate on Saturday.  They include:

#2 You Better Listen 6-1 – Son of Commands has seven wins from twelve starts and has only missed the board once.   Made a stunning graded stakes debut last time out with an open lengths victory in the Grade III Thank You in Japan.  That race was at seven furlongs, where this pace presser has run off three straight speed figures between 113 and 114.  If that translates to this distance, we’re probably looking at the winner, though recent efforts at 6 ½ furlongs have not been as brilliant as the seven furlong tries. 

#3 Bobbysgoneoutwest 9-1 – A scratch-bred by Frankel, our lone mare in this field won the Grade II Sangster against females in neighboring Victoria last year (SF 111, six furlongs) before a couple of Grade I placings.  Last fall, she began a string of races against males, which included a strong fourth in the King Kong Sprint and a recent third behind King of the Oasis in the Ye Ole Shopping Exchange (SF 109).  She’s making only her third start of the year and is cycling up to a big effort.  Big chance.

#4 Tethero 11-1 – Teofilo colt has never been better, and just joined the ranks of graded royalty with a win in the G3 King Don Buffet in neighboring New Zealand last month (6f in 1:08 and 4/5; SF 111).  Closer certainly has enough quality and late kick to make an impact here and it’s a logical next step to test these waters, but wow did they come up deep.  A half-brother to two other stakes winners; dam Cytheria (Vindication) was 4th here in the G3 Barrier Reef S. in 2005.

#8 Tete Fridolf 14-1 – Son of High Chaparral didn’t hit the stakes ranks until the spring of his four year-old campaign, but by the summer he was a Grade III winner at this distance (Orange Tree in Deauville, SF 108), and it didn’t take him long after to annex the Grade II Goldene (SF 107 in Germany).  This five year-old is a half to multiple Grade I-winning turfer Tete Eilert (Milan Grand Prix, G.P. Von Baden, both at 1 ½ miles), but he’s taken more to his dam’s penchant for winning in turf dashes.  Dam Project Elocat (With Approval) won over three-quarters of a million dollars, including a Grade III turf sprint.  This one has found his best distance… in five total graded stakes efforts he’s perfect in six furlong events, but has never hit the board at another distance.  Goldene field included three Grade I winners.  Deep closer will be coming late.

The rest of the field:

#1 Pullo 21-1 – Eight year-old son of Curlin nearly upset the G1 New Market H. last time out at 14-1, finishing a neck back in third (SF 105).  Early-presser type has won just $259k lifetime, but there’s no doubt he’s razor sharp right now.  He’s never topped a speed figure of 105 but on current form he has to be considered to get at least a minor share.  Remarkable that this horse was claimed for $45k just six months ago.

#5 Fiery Breeze 9-1 – Illinois-bred five year-old is 10-for-19 all-time on the grass for over half a million dollars, including six stakes wins.  None of those is of the graded variety, however, and every time he’s waded into the graded stakes waters he’s come up empty.  That includes an 8th-place finish in the Grade I Sprint Cup last fall in England and a recent 7th against Grade III foes amongst the Kiwis.  Mama Beautiful Loser won over $600,000 on the turf, and nine stakes races herself, and nearly pulled an upset in the G3 Train Station over this very course over a decade ago.

#9 Barbaric Splendor 8-1 – This five year-old scratch-bred (Danehill Dancer) has nine wins and $659k in career earnings.  His last two graded stakes attempts, both at this distance, have been promising: a near-miss second in the Grade III You Know What Stuart Cap last November and his best yet last time out, running second in the G1 Ye Ole Shopping Exchange,  ahead of Bobbysgoneoutwest and behind King of the Oasis.  This is his best distance and I liked the way he showed he doesn’t need the lead in his Irish-bred stakes win three back. 

#10 Light of Darkness 14-1 – This four year-old son of Teofilo has turned a corner since arriving here in Australia.  In early February, he blew away a listed stakes field (SF 111) at this distance and followed it up with a neck runner-up finish to Tonatiuh Shock in the G1 New Market H. (SF 105) in his graded debut.  Dam Light of Wisdom (Lope de Vega) won the G3 Nanette at 1 ¼ miles in 2012.  This is her first foal.

#12 Brownsnake Bounce 12-1 – Pivotal scratch-bred beat older horses as a three year-old in a Grade III stakes at seven furlongs (Hungry Ford in Newmarket in August 2015, SF 110) to announce his presence in this division.  He started his 2015 campaign with a mediocre tune up in listed company but ran an excellent fourth (beaten just half a length) last time out in the G1 New Market H.  He was finishing fastest of all that day and probably just needed another 70 yards to get the job done.  He ran out of ground that day, and that may be an ongoing problem for him at six furlongs.  He’ll be flying late.

#14 Buzzing Along 10-1 – 10-for-15 lifetime with a previous eight-race win skein to his credit, this four-year son of Johannesburg was a surprising flop last out in Dubai after two strong races as the distance, a near-miss in the G2 Cool Lightning and a very close 5th in the G1 New Market.  His form appears to be in massive decline and it could be that he needs a move down to lower level competition to recapture his best.  Then again, he’s been in training for about 17 months straight now and may just be in need of a rest.