The Post is profiling each of the nine Breeders’ Cup races to be run on Saturday at Santa Anita Park. The Countdown to the Cup spotlights potential nice-price winners as handicapped by Ed Fountaine, John DaSilva and Anthony Affrunti. Good luck.
ANALYSIS: There is no rhyme or reason to which running style wins this race. Sprint winners have led gate to wire, from just off the pace, or rallying from left field, with maybe a slight edge going to stretch-runners, but not by much. Nor is there any consistency to which track the winner used for his prep.
Bob Baffert’s Capital Account and Coil, heads apart when they ran 1-2 in the Oct. 6 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, are the obvious ones to beat, with Capital Account getting the edge in overall speed figures. Last year’s winner, Amazombie, ran fourth as the odds-on favorite in the SA Sprint Championship; trainer Bill Spawr said he might have trained him too hard for his first start since July, and that Amazombie likely needed the race.
LIVE LONGSHOTS: Fast Bullet hasn’t started in almost a year, but horses have run well in the Sprint off long layoffs before and Baffert says he’s “really, really fast.” Jimmy Creed was beaten less than a length in the SA Sprint Championship and is trained by Hall-of-Famer Dick Mandella. Hamazing Destiny has been going well for legendary horseman D. Wayne Lukas.
THE BET: Jimmy Creed has tactical speed combined with a closing kick and he fired a bullet work for this. Key on him with Baffert’s horses, Amazombie and Hamazing Destiny in exotics.
1. Sum Of The PartsJ. Leparoux 20-1
2. Jimmy CreedG. Gomez 6-1
3. GantryJ. Castellano 10-1
4. CoilM. Garcia 5-1
5. Justin PhillipR. Bejarano 20-1
6. Fast BulletJ. Talamo 12-1
7. The Lumber GuyJ. Velazquez 6-1
8. Capital AccountD. Flores 8-1
9. TrinnibergW. Martinez 15-1
10. Smiling TigerR. Dominguez 12-1
11. AmazombieM. Smith 4-1
12. Hamazing DestinyJ. Rosario 12-1
13. Poseidon’s WarriorI. Ortiz, Jr.15-1
14. Boxeur Des RuesM. Gutierrez 30-1