{"id":35794,"date":"2016-04-20T19:40:57","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T23:40:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=35794"},"modified":"2016-04-20T19:40:57","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T23:40:57","slug":"g1-sydney-sprint-king-of-the-oasis-tonatiuh-shock-challenge-the-champ-for-turf-sprint-division-supremacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=35794","title":{"rendered":"G1 Sydney Sprint: King of the Oasis & Tonatiuh Shock Challenge the Champ for Turf Sprint Division Supremacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Defense Wins Races<\/span><\/b> won the 2015 turf sprint championship thanks to victories in four Grade I turf sprints: the July Cup<\/i> and King Kong Sprint<\/i> at six furlongs and the King\u2019s Fall<\/i> and Longchamp Sprint<\/i> at five furlongs.\u00a0 His 2016 campaign started poorly with an uncharacteristic 4th in the G1 Pekays<\/i> followed by an SF 104 3rd place finish against listed company.\u00a0 This writer called on him to move up in his last, the G1 Sand Castle Turf Sprint<\/i> in Dubai, and he came through with a promising performance.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The champ is listed at 6-1 on the morning line and breaks from post #6 in Saturday\u2019s Grade I Sydney Sprint<\/i> at six furlongs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two strong challengers who would love to take the turf sprint title away from Defense Wins Races have shipped to Queensland to meet him.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s winner of the Sydney Sprint<\/i>, King of the Oasis <\/b>(11-1), was fantastic last month in a Grade I win in neighboring Victoria.\u00a0 He pressed the pace and won in style (SF 112) at six furlongs in the Ye Ole Shopping Exchange<\/i>.\u00a0 The Oasis Dream scratch-bred beat a fantastic field here last year and has always done his best running here in Australia.\u00a0 While his last win was over a pretty weak field, it was his third career Grade I win and his class is undeniable.\u00a0 He\u2019s drawn just outside of Defense Wins Races in post #7.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four year-old Tonatiuh Shock <\/b>(10-1, post #11) is a relative newcomer to the division.\u00a0 Six-for-twelve lifetime and a winner of over $1.3 million, Shocking\u2019s 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.\u00a0 He won the G2 Ascot Vail <\/i>last October wire-to-wire (SF 112) before running a strong third to Defense Wins Races in the G1 King Kong Sprint<\/i>.\u00a0 He has since annexed the Grade I Pekays Remembrance S. <\/i>and New Market H.<\/i> (both at six furlongs).\u00a0 Dam Fire Shield was quite a turf sprinter herself, winning the G2 Triangular Sprint Cup<\/i> at five furlongs two years in a row in New South Wales.\u00a0 This is her first Grade I winner though Tonatiuh Shock\u2019s half-brother Sannhet (Ouragan) won a Grade 3 race at a mile.\u00a0 Tonatiuh Shock\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

The other Grade 1 winner in the field is #13<\/b> Zabrathan <\/b>(10-1).\u00a0 The scratch-bred took the G1 Golden Goose Sprint<\/i> last May in South Africa and the G1 Teleprompter Cap<\/i> (both SF 108) and is very much a specialist at this distance.\u00a0 Of concern, however, is what has happened to his form since the Golden Goose<\/i>: in four graded stakes races, he\u2019s done no better than 5th and no faster than a speed figure of 106.\u00a0 Is this five year-old past his best?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sydney Sprint<\/i> is shaping up to be the biggest event on the turf sprint schedule to date.\u00a0 In addition to the four aforementioned Grade I winners in the field, five other graded stakes winners will enter the starting gate on Saturday.\u00a0 They include:<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 You Better Listen 6-1 <\/span><\/b>\u2013 Son of Commands has seven wins from twelve starts and has only missed the board once.\u00a0\u00a0 Made a stunning graded stakes debut last time out with an open lengths victory in the Grade III Thank You <\/i>in Japan.\u00a0 That race was at seven furlongs, where this pace presser has run off three straight speed figures between 113 and 114.\u00a0 If that translates to this distance, we\u2019re probably looking at the winner, though recent efforts at 6 \u00bd furlongs have not been as brilliant as the seven furlong tries.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

#3 Bobbysgoneoutwest 9-1 \u2013 <\/span><\/b>A scratch-bred by Frankel, our lone mare in this field won the Grade II Sangster<\/i> against females in neighboring Victoria last year (SF 111, six furlongs) before a couple of Grade I placings.\u00a0 Last fall, she began a string of races against males, which included a strong fourth in the King Kong Sprint<\/i> and a recent third behind King of the Oasis in the Ye Ole Shopping Exchange<\/i> (SF 109).\u00a0 She\u2019s making only her third start of the year and is cycling up to a big effort.\u00a0 Big chance.<\/span><\/p>\n

#4 Tethero 11-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Teofilo colt has never been better, and just joined the ranks of graded royalty with a win in the G3 King Don Buffet<\/i> in neighboring New Zealand last month (6f in 1:08 and 4\/5; SF 111).\u00a0 Closer certainly has enough quality and late kick to make an impact here and it\u2019s a logical next step to test these waters, but wow did they come up deep.\u00a0 A half-brother to two other stakes winners; dam Cytheria (Vindication) was 4th here in the G3 Barrier Reef S.<\/i> in 2005.<\/span><\/p>\n

#8 Tete Fridolf 14-1 <\/span><\/b>\u2013 Son of High Chaparral didn\u2019t 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<\/i> in Deauville, SF 108), and it didn\u2019t take him long after to annex the Grade II Goldene<\/i> (SF 107 in Germany).\u00a0 This five year-old is a half to multiple Grade I-winning turfer Tete Eilert (Milan Grand Prix<\/i>, G.P. Von Baden<\/i>, both at 1 \u00bd miles), but he\u2019s taken more to his dam\u2019s penchant for winning in turf dashes.\u00a0 Dam Project Elocat (With Approval) won over three-quarters of a million dollars, including a Grade III turf sprint.\u00a0 This one has found his best distance\u2026 in five total graded stakes efforts he\u2019s perfect in six furlong events, but has never hit the board at another distance.\u00a0 Goldene <\/i>field included three Grade I winners.\u00a0 Deep closer will be coming late.<\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the field:<\/span><\/p>\n

#1 Pullo 21-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Eight year-old son of Curlin nearly upset the G1 New Market H.<\/i> last time out at 14-1, finishing a neck back in third (SF 105).\u00a0 Early-presser type has won just $259k lifetime, but there\u2019s no doubt he\u2019s razor sharp right now.\u00a0 He\u2019s never topped a speed figure of 105 but on current form he has to be considered to get at least a minor share.\u00a0 Remarkable that this horse was claimed for $45k just six months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

#5 Fiery Breeze 9-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Illinois-bred five year-old is 10-for-19 all-time on the grass for over half a million dollars, including six<\/i><\/b> stakes wins.\u00a0 None of those is of the graded variety, however, and every time he\u2019s waded into the graded stakes waters he\u2019s come up empty.\u00a0 That includes an 8th-place finish in the Grade I Sprint Cup<\/i> last fall in England and a recent 7th against Grade III foes amongst the Kiwis.\u00a0 Mama Beautiful Loser won over $600,000 on the turf, and nine <\/i><\/b>stakes races herself, and nearly pulled an upset in the G3 Train Station<\/i> over this very course over a decade ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

#9 Barbaric Splendor 8-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 This five year-old scratch-bred (Danehill Dancer) has nine wins and $659k in career earnings.\u00a0 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<\/i> last November and his best yet last time out, running second in the G1 Ye Ole Shopping Exchange,\u00a0 <\/i>ahead of Bobbysgoneoutwest and behind King of the Oasis.\u00a0 This is his best distance and I liked the way he showed he doesn\u2019t need the lead in his Irish-bred stakes win three back.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

#10 Light of Darkness 14-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 This four year-old son of Teofilo has turned a corner since arriving here in Australia.\u00a0 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.<\/i> (SF 105) in his graded debut.\u00a0 Dam Light of Wisdom (Lope de Vega) won the G3 Nanette<\/i> at 1 \u00bc miles in 2012.\u00a0 This is her first foal.<\/span><\/p>\n

#12 Brownsnake Bounce 12-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 Pivotal scratch-bred beat older horses as a three year-old in a Grade III stakes at seven furlongs (Hungry Ford<\/i> in Newmarket in August 2015, SF 110) to announce his presence in this division.\u00a0 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.<\/i>\u00a0 He was finishing fastest of all that day and probably just needed another 70 yards to get the job done.\u00a0 He ran out of ground that day, and that may be an ongoing problem for him at six furlongs.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be flying late.<\/span><\/p>\n

#14 Buzzing Along 10-1<\/span><\/b> \u2013 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<\/i> and a very close 5th in the G1 New Market<\/i>.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Then again, he\u2019s been in training for about 17 months straight now and may just be in need of a rest.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Defense Wins Races won the 2015 turf sprint championship thanks to victories in four Grade I turf sprints: the July<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-previews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35794"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35799,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35794\/revisions\/35799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}