The Turf Sprint, for horses 3-years of age and older, combines both speed and agility for international competitors over six and a half furlongs on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.

Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

Defending champ Stormy Liberal returns in Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

Get ready for a full field and a mad dash of speed in this year's running of the Breeder's Cup Turf Sprint. A total of 20 horses have been pre-entered into the race, which carries a purse of $1,000,000. The Grade 1 race will be contested over 5 1/2 furlongs and has a post time 12:38 ET on Saturday, November 3 at Churchill Downs.

Amazingly, the top four finishers of last year's running have all been pre-entered again this year. Stormy Liberal closed down the lane with a furious rally to win the 2017 edition by a head. After struggling early in 2018, he has won three in a row, all of which came by a nose. The winning streak started in a 5-furlong allowance dash at Del Mar before he took home the $75,000 Green Flash Handicap, again going 5 furlongs at Del Mar. Last time out, he returned to graded company in the Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes, where he stalked the pace before barely getting up in the nick of time.

The 2017 second-place finisher, Richard's Boy, is still looking for his first win since the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint earlier that same year. He has made 6 starts in 2018, earning a pair of seconds and thirds each while running in some tough spots, including the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan (finishing sixth). After that race, he was given five months off, which was to his benefit. He returned at Del Mar to finish second in the Green Flash Handicap, then again finished second last time out in the $100,000 California Flag Handicap.

The 6-year-old New York-bred Disco Partner is back and ready to give this race another shot after closing just a bit too late last year and settling for third. He will get an extra 1/2-furlong this year, which could have made the difference for him in 2017. This year, Disco Partner captured the Grade 2 Jaipur Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park for the second straight year. Last time out, he dominated the $150,000 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational, which was his second straight in that race, too. When running 6 furlongs or fewer on turf, Disco Partner has never finished outside of the money.

Last year's fourth-place finisher Bucchero returns after winning the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes at Keeneland for the second straight year. The repeat was his first victory since winning it last season, when he pulled the upset at 26/1. This horse relishes the underdog role.

The new shooter posing the biggest threat is the 3-year-old World of Trouble. This colt made his way onto the Kentucky Derby trail early in 2018 after a commanding win at Tampa Bay in the $125,000 Pasco Stakes. That win earned him a spot in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, where he set a fast pace before giving up the lead in the late stages to finish third. After that loss, he then entered the 7-furlong Grade 2 Woody Stephens, where he was fourth. His connections finally made the decision to switch him to the turf for the $100,000 Quick Call Stakes, where won convincingly by 1 3/4 lengths. He then returned on the turf and romped in the $100,000 Allied Forces Stakes at Belmont Park last time out by 5 3/4 lengths.

Another new shooter, though much older, is Conquest Tsunami, who has quietly had an amazing season. He was moved to Peter Miller's barn to start 2018 and quickly showed his love for his new home, posting back-to-back wins going down the 6 1/2-furlong hill at Santa Anita. Those two wins earned him a trip to Dubai, where he was a close third in the Group 1 Al Quoz Stakes. Since coming home, he has shown that he is still in top form, finishing a solid second in the Jaipur. He was also a solid second in the Eddie D.

Other horses that have been pre-entered into the race include Blind Ambition, B Squared, Chanteline, El Astronaute, Extravagant Kid, Havana Grey, Hembree, Insta Erma, Lost Treasure, Pay Any Price, Rainbow Heir, Ruby Notion, Vision Perfect, and Will Call.

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Recent Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint Winners

What is the Breeders Cup' Turf Sprint?

The Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint is a Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up. As its name implies, it is a part of the Breeders' Cup thoroughbred championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing. The distance of the race will vary depending on the host track's turf course requirements.

The Turf Sprint is a fast and furious charge across the downhill turf course and into the homestretch at Santa Anita Park this year. Run at approximately 1400 yards (6.5 furlongs) for horses 3-years of age and older, this race combines both speed and agility for the international competitors. The race was run for the first time in 2008 during the second day of Breeders' Cup racing at that year's host track, Santa Anita Park.

Distance : 6.5 Furlongs

The 2008 race was held at a distance of six and a half furlongs and was contested on Santa Anita's signature El Camino Real "downhill" turf course. In 2008 the race was limited to 14 starters. Besides Santa Anita, the only tracks in North America capable of contesting longer than six and 1/2 furlong turf races are Woodbine and Belmont. Churchill Downs, which has hosted the Breeders' Cup eight times, only conducts turf sprints at 5 furlongs. Breeders' Cup Officials did announce a preferred distance for the race, unlike all other Breeders' Cup races.

Because of technical requirements, it was not eligible for classification as a graded stakes race in its first two runnings. Starting in 2010, it was a Grade II race, and was upgraded to Grade I for 2012.

Automatic Berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed "The Breeders' Cup Challenge," a series of races in each division that alloted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the fourteen divisions has between three and six of these, "Win and You're In," qualifiers. In the Breeders' Cup Distaff Division there are four automatic births.

2024 BREEDERS' CUP RACE SCHEDULE

• Springboard Mile at Remington Park - Dec 13
• G2 Los Alamitos Futurity Entries - Dec 14
• Bet Aqueduct Racetrack | Nov 7 - Dec 29
• Bet Santa Anita Park | Dec 26 - Apr 6
• Bet Tampa Bay Downs | Nov 20 - May 3

Race Tracks	Time (ET)

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