Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint is an American Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses, run on a grass course at a distance of 5 or 5 1⁄2 furlongs, depending on the configuration of the host track. It is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the de facto year-end championship for North American thoroughbred racing. All Breeders' Cups to date have been conducted in the United States, with the exception of the 1996 event in Canada.
| Grade 2 race | |
| Location | United States, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 2018 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Official Breeders' Cup website |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 5 or 5 1⁄2 furlongs |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Two-year-olds |
| Weight | Assigned |
| Purse | US$1,000,000 |
The race was run for the first time as a Breeders' Cup Championship race in 2018 during the first day of the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] Prior to 2018 the Juvenile Turf Sprint was run as an undercard race at the Breeders' Cup.[2] The race was not eligible for grading in its first year but since 2019 it has been run as a Grade II event.
The distance of the race varies depending on the configuration of the host race track:
- 5 furlongs – 2019
- 5 1⁄2 furlongs – 2018, 2020
Automatic Berths
Beginning in 2007, the Breeders' Cup developed the Breeders' Cup Challenge, a series of races in each division that allotted automatic qualifying bids to winners of defined races. Each of the thirteen divisions has between two and twelve of these "Win and You're In" qualifying races.
In the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint division, runners are limited to 14 and there are up to five automatic berths. Note though that one horse may win multiple challenge races, while other challenge winners will not be entered in the Breeders' Cup for a variety of reasons such as injury or travel considerations.
The 2019 "Win and You're In" races are:[3]
- Norfolk Stakes, a Group 2 race run in June at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England
- Prix Morny, a Group One race run in August at Deauville in France
- Belmont Futurity Stakes, a Grade 3 race run in September at Belmont Park in New York
- Speakeasy Stakes, a race run in October at Santa Anita Park in California
- Indian Summer Stakes, a race run in October at Keeneland in Kentucky
Records
Most wins by a jockey:
- 2 – Irad Ortiz Jr. (2019, 2020)
Most wins by a trainer:
- 2 – Wesley Ward (2019, 2020)
Winners
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Dist. (Miles) |
Time | Purse | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Golden Pal | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Wesley Ward | Ranlo Investments | 5.5 f | 1:02.82 | $1,000,000 | G2 |
| 2019 | Four Wheel Drive | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Wesley Ward | Breeze Easy, LLC | 5 f | 0:55.66 | $1,000,000 | G2 |
| 2018 | Bulletin | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | WinStar Farm | 5.5 f | 1:05.54 | $1,000,000 | |
References
- "Juvenile Turf Sprint". Breeders' Cup. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- "Juvenile Turf Sprint Added to Breeders' Cup Line Up; Sprint Purse Raised". Thoroughbred Daily News. 5 February 2018.
- "Breeders' Cup Announces Challenge Series Schedule". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019.