This post kicks off a series of Breeders' Cup Sprint articles leading
up to the first Saturday in November. The Sprint is one of the original Breeders’ Cup races, having been
contested 28 times beginning with the inaugural event at Hollywood Park in
1984. Here’s a closer look at the race
by the numbers.
3: The number of trainers who have won the Sprint more than
once. Bob Baffert leads the pack with
three sprint victories, including two with champion Midnight Lute. Jenine Sahadi won it in back to back years
(1996 and 1997) with Lit de Justice and Elmhurst, and D. Wayne Lukas also has a
pair of wins in the $1.5 million dollar race.
1:07.08: The fastest
time the race’s 6 furlongs have been completed.
Midnight Lute did it in 2008 while capturing his second consecutive BC
Sprint.
125: Highest Beyer Speed Figure of the BC Sprint
winner. Precisionist earned it in just
the second running of the race. The
second highest belongs to Artax, with a 124 in the 1999 Sprint.
4: The most wins by a
jockey in the BC Sprint. Corey Nakatani
sped home on Lit de Justice and Elmhurst in 1996 and 1997, Reraise for Craig
Dollase in 1998, and Thor’s Echo for Doug O’Neill in 2006.
6: The number of wins
by a horse breaking from the 5-hole, more than any other post position. Post 3 has tallied the second highest number
of victories with 5.
12.4: Average number
of starters. The fewest to leave the
gate was 8, in 2008. A full field of 14
has contested the sprint in 11 of the 28 runnings.
2: Most wins by an
owner in the Sprint. Evergreen Farm
teamed up with trainer Sahadi to accomplish the feat in 1996 and 1997, and Pegram, Watson and Weitman did it
in 2007 and 2008 with Midnight Lute and Baffert.The latter could have
a shot in this year’s sprint with Pat O’Brien runner up Coil.