Breeders’ Bowl Turf Sprint

The best turf sprinters in the Sim will be in California for the Breeders’ Bowl Turf Sprint on Friday. The top 5 three-year-old turf sprinters are here, the top 5 older turf sprinters are here as well, and there are a pair of females here to challenge the boys too. There are a lot of interesting angles to this race, setting up a great showdown.

Let’s take a closer look at the field:

1 – LENAPALOOZA, 7/1 (owner simsters11)

The first of two females in this field, this 5-year-old Irish-bred mare draws the rail in this stacked field. This distance of 6.5 furlongs suits her really well. Six out of her nine career wins are at this distance, and her last two G1 wins are also at this distance too. She has hit the board in her last five starts, all G1 races, and has been consistently good. She steps up here to face the boys, and she has the talent to challenge this field.

2 – MORE OF THIS, 10/1 (owner cjt4)

This son of Australian sire Bivouac has not raced in the States since he broke his maiden in Louisiana last February. He had a great start to the year in Australia, culminating in a victory in the Group I Sydney Sprint in Queensland on April 20th. Since then, though, he’s had a hard time recapturing that form. He has failed to hit the board in his past three starts and there has been a decline in SP numbers in a couple of those starts. He’ll need to turn it around to do well here.

3 – BRAGI ACCLA, 28/1 (owner daniel2)

Here at post three we find the first of six three-year-olds in the field, who is the longest shot on the board. He had a nice end to the spring with a pair of wins in the Group III Kazoo Kazoo Stakes in May and then in the Group I Iron Knight Sprint in June. He has not been able to recapture that form in his past two starts, finishing just off the board in two more G1 races. Those were all against three-year-olds, so this will be a big step up to face older horses. He’ll really need to find another gear to get into the trifecta here.

4 – PERSONALITY CULT, 18/1 (owner asrstar11)

The number-one ranked three-year-old turf sprinter has rattled off four G1 wins this year, including a win in Australia in early September. The son of No Nay Never seems to do his best work in the 5.5-6 furlong range, but this is likely a good distance for this colt too. These are always tricky situations to handicap – three-year-old horses at the top of their game encountering older horses for the first time. If he takes another step forward, he can be very competitive in this spot.

5 – GIVE EM THE WORLD, 9/1 (owner magpies01)

This four-year-old colt by Kitten’s Joy is the lone American-bred horse in the field. He had a great finish to his three-year-old campaign last November, recording a victory in the Group I Coldmore Stud Stakes in Australia. His start to 2024 got off to a tough start, with two poor finishes in his first two starts against older horses. However, he picked up two victories in his subsequent starts, including the G1 MGD Special in July, which was run at 6.5 furlongs. He’s won all three of his starts at 6.5 furlongs, so it’s a distance he does well at. He’ll be an interesting one to watch.

6 – BEACH GLASS, 6/1 (owner kobras5)

The co-second choice in this Breeders’ Bowl field, he almost won this race a year ago, coming up a quarter of a length short. He’s had a very good 2024 campaign, racking up three straight G1 wins from March through July. His most recent race, though, was not as solid, as he never really fired and finished seventh. His SP number in that race, 103, was the lowest he’s recorded since last summer. He’s the most experienced horse in this field, as this will be his 26th start. Has he passed his peak? We’ll find out a lot in this race.

7 – I AM JACK, 22/1 (owner migman1)

This three-year-old colt is one of three sons of I Am Invincible in this field, all of whom are three-year-olds. He is undefeated in his first two G1 starts, both solid wins again three-year-olds in June and August. Just in the past 6-7 months, he has rounded into really good form really quickly. I wouldn’t be shocked if he takes a step back here after two great starts, but if he can continue this rapid improvement, he’s got an outside chance at a good price.

8 – YOU BROKE ME FIRST, 27/1 (owner givenup)

The other female in the race, this three-year-old filly will face a tough task facing older male horses. That being said, she has had a great year. Much like I AM JACK, she has developed very well this year, winning four out of her five graded stakes starts this year. Her SP numbers have steadily increased during that time from the 90s early in the year to 110 in her last start. Like I said, this is a really challenging spot for her, but she has earned her spot here. She has yet to finish off the board in her career. Will this be the first time she doesn’t, or can she make noise at long odds?

9 – SOU INVENCIVEL, 6/1 (owner meza)

The winner of the Sand Castle Turf Sprint, he is one of the co-second choices in this race. Ever since that race in March, he has been unable to find the winner’s circle since. He was way back in the Equinics, and was never able to get close to the front in that race. In his most recent two starts, though, he has finished a solid second in both races, registering an SP of 115 in both starts. If he races back to those performances, he could certainly hit the board in this spot.

10 – EISHINSKY, 4/1 (owner astinator10)

The clear favorite in this talented field, EISHINSKY is sort of a late bloomer compared to others in this field. The five-year-old gelding didn’t even race in his first graded stakes race until last November, the end of his four-year-old campaign. He has won four of the five starts in graded races since then, including two excellent wire-to-wire wins in his past two starts, with a field-best SP of 119 last time out. There is no early speed to his inside, so he may be able to clear the horses inside of him pretty easily. A performance like the past two races would likely win this race.

11 – IFF EYE DREAMED, 11/1 (owner lbaileybb)

Next to EISHINSKY, we find another horse that will be looking for the early lead. In most of his graded stakes starts, he has found the early lead. While he has been good overall in his eight career G1 starts, he has only been able to find the winner’s circle once during that time. While he’s hit the board in four out of six starts this year, he’s coming out of a disappointing effort in the G1 Longchamp Sprint. In a field that wasn’t particularly strong, he finished fifth out of seven with an SP of just 99, his worst since last March. Was it just a bump in the road? It’s certainly possible, given the consistency in his earlier form. Much like BEACH GLASS, we’ll find out a lot in this race.

12 – BATTLE OF SODDEN, 6/1 (owner lenny23)

This nine-time winner and son of Galileo has had a very solid career, including a pair of field-best 119 SP numbers both last September and back in January. In recent months, though, that form has not been recaptured. He did record an SP of 118 in June in a G3 race in Ontario. Since then, he failed to hit the board in two subsequent G3 starts. He did finish a solid third in the G1 Longchamp Sprint ahead of IFF EYE DREAMED, but again…that field wasn’t nearly the level of this field. Unless he can regain his previous form, this will be a pretty tough ask in this spot despite the short odds.

13 – I AM WINTER, 23/1 (owner checkmate22)

A three-year-old colt by I Am Invincible, I AM WINTER has a Breeders’ Bowl victory under his belt already, winning the Juvenile Turf Sprint last November. Interestingly enough, he has never raced in a G1 race since. Instead, he racked up six straight wins in G2, G3 and ungraded stakes races, before coming up a little short in the G2 Turf Lovers Stakes back in September. Having raced against lesser competition, especially against only three-year-olds, it becomes very difficult to evaluate just how talented this colt is. He is clearly one of the best turf sprinters in this three-year-old group, but this is a whole other level. It’s possible he could race well in this spot, but I’ll have to see it first.

14 – HARMAS AUSZTRALIA, 26/1 (owner astin8)

To the outside, we find yet another three-year-old I Am Invincible colt. He’s had his ups and downs in his 2024 campaign, and has won seven out of ten lifetime starts. He comes into this race the winner of two straight races, including the G1 Saints and Sinners Sprint last time out. He put up a 110 SP number in that race, the best of his career. He likes this 6.5 furlong distance, winning four out of his five starts at the distance. Much like some of the other three-year-olds, though, he just may not have quite enough to win in this spot.

My Picks:

10 – EISHINSKY, 4/1 – I don’t often pick the favorite, but I think this race sets up well for him. There’s no early speed inside of him, and his last two performances would likely win here.

5 – GIVE EM THE WORLD, 9/1 – While his last start leaves something to be desired, his race two back would be very competitive here. Likely gets back on track here.

4 – PERSONALITY CULT, 18/1 – The top-ranked three-year-old turf sprinter, he’s been really solid all year and seems to be rounding into form at the right time to face older horses.

9 – SOU INVENCIVEL, 6/1 – He has recovered well from his struggles in the Equinics over his past couple of starts. He still has the talent to compete at this level.

13 – I AM WINTER, 23/1 – While the class of this colt is really hard to judge given that he’s faced weaker competition of late, he’s won 11 or 14 lifetime starts. He’s a winner, so perhaps he can outrun his odds.

Good luck to all!