Breeders’ Cup Sprint – TVG Analyst Scott Hazelton

There are so many top sprinters in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint it looks like it should be a fantastic renewal.  It has everything, the defending champ, Roy H.  The best of 2018 thus far, Imperial Hint.  The horse for course, Limousine Liberal.  On top of that a three year old that has already proven he can beat his elders, Promises Fulfilled.  Here’s how I see it, in this order.

#9 Roy H comes in to this year’s Breeders’ Cup a fresher horse having taken extra time off from his trip to Dubai.  He has run just twice since then over the span of two months and in this two months and two runs he took a huge leap forward.  The scary thing about him is that he showed us last year that he can improve with a short space between his races, just like last year from the Santa Anita Sprint Championship to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.  If it comes up wet, no problem, he handled a wet course at Santa Anita in 1:07 4/5 for 6 furlongs.  The outside draw helps him as well and allows Paco Lopez to see what speed shakes out on his inside in a race that always has an unsustainable early pace.

#8 Limousine Liberal is as consistent as a horse in this year’s entire Breeders’ Cup.  He simply always shows up and even more so when racing at Churchill Downs, where his record is 8-6-1-0.  On his fastest days, which like I said he brings every single time based on his speed figures, he isn’t as fast as Roy H and Imperial Hint.  But those two could regress to his level off of their recent big races.  Also if it comes up wet his 3 for 3 record on an off track is impossible to ignore.  One knock, he’s probably better at 7 furlongs.

#2 Promises Fulfilled has to improve further to hang with this group.  Yes, I understand he beat Whitmore and Limousine Liberal at Keeneland and looked damn good doing it, truth is he’s never seen horses as fast as Roy H and Imperial Hint.  That being said there should be improvement in him off of the Keeneland race.  He ran faster at Saratoga and that was setting a wicked pace over the deep track that is Saratoga and while going further, 7 furlongs.  Dale Romans has been clear, he’s in this race to win the Eclipse Award for top Sprinter of 2018, he could have gone a slightly easier route to the Dirt Mile.  With that being said, Dale knows what he needs to get out of his 3 year old in order to do just that, and that is a career best effort.

Money Back Special Pick: #2 Promises Fulfilled

 

 

 

 

 

 

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