The Breeders Cup Turf Sprint combines speed and agility for horses three-years-old & up. The race has been run a distance from 5 furlongs to about 6.5f on the turf depending on the host track.
The first edition of this race was in 2008 on the second day of Breeders’ Cup racing at Santa Anita and was run over a distance of six and a half furlongs, with Desert Code winning in a time of 01:11.6. Besides Santa Anita, the only tracks in North America capable of contesting turf sprints at 6 1/2 furlongs are Woodbine and Belmont. This race can be run at 5 furlongs in Churchill Downs Racecourse. The 2015 race at Keeneland was held at approximately 5 1⁄2 furlongs.
Horses can qualify for the event either through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re in” or through a selection process. If there are more than 14 nominees (oversubscribed), the BC Challenge Series winners will get spots and the next seven are determined by points based on the following formula. Win, place and show horses in Grade I stakes earn ten, six, and four points, respectively. The top three finishers in Grade II stakes earn six, four, and two points respectively, and in Grade III races the points earned are four, two, and one, respectively.
| RACE QUALITY | WIN | PLACE | SHOW |
| Grade 1 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Grade 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Grade 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
The horses remaining after the BC Challenge winners and 7 entries based on points will be ranked in order of preference by the Panel. The Panel will be free to establish its own criteria or ranking, so that high-quality horses of demonstrated ability will have the opportunity to participate in Championship Races regardless of earlier participation in graded events.
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Win and You’re In Races
| DATE | RACE NAME | GRADE | TRACK | DISTANCE | WINNER | VIDEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10th | Jaipur | 1 | Belmont Park | 6 Furlongs | Caravel |  |
| Jun 20th | King’s Stand S. | 1 | Ascot Racecourse | 5 Furlongs | Bradsell | |
| Aug 25th | Nunthorpe Stakes | 1 | York Racecourse | 5 Furlongs | Live In The Dream | |
| Sep 2th | Green Flash H. | 3 | Del Mar | 5 Furlongs | ||
| Sep 9th | FanDuel Turf Sprint | 2 | Kentucky Downs | 6 Furlongs | ||
| Sep 10th | Flying Five Stakes | 1 | The Curragh | 5 Furlongs | ||
| Oct 1st | Prix de L’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines | 1 | Longchamp Racecourse | 5 Furlongs |
Records
Most wins:
2 – Mizdirection (2012, 2013)
2 – Stormy Liberal (2017, 2018)
Most wins by a jockey:
2 – Mike Smith (2012, 2013)
2 – Joel Rosario (2014, 2017)
Most wins by a trainer:
3 – Peter Miller (2017, 2018, 2019)
2 – Mike Puype (2012, 2013)
Most wins by an owner:
2 – Jungle Racing/KMN Racing et al. (2012, 2013)
2 – Rockingham Ranch (2017, 2018)
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Past Winners
| YEAR | WINNER | AGE | JOCKEY | TRAINER | OWNER |
| 2022 | Caravel | 5 | Tyler Gaffalione | Brad Cox | Qatar Racing Limited, Mar Detmpel & Madaket Stables LLC |
| 2021 | Golden Pal | 3 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Wesley Ward | Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Westerberg (Georg von Opel) |
| 2020 | Glass Slippers (GB) | 4 | Tom Eaves | Kevin Ryan | Bearstone Stud (Terry & Margaret Holdcroft) |
| 2019 | Belvoir Bay (GB) | 6 | Javier Castellano | Peter Miller | Gary Barber |
| 2018 | Stormy Liberal | 6 | Drayden Van Dyke | Peter Miller | Rockingham Ranch (Gary Hartunian) |
| 2017 | Stormy Liberal | 5 | Joel Rosario | Peter Miller | Rockingham Ranch (Gary Hartunian) |
| 2016 | Obviously (IRE) | 8 | Flavien Prat | Philip D’Amato | Anthony Fanticola & Joseph Scardino |
| 2015 | Mongolian Saturday | 5 | Florent Geroux | Enebish Ganbat | Mongolian Stable (Ganbaatar Dagvadorj) |
| 2014 | Bobby’s Kitten | 3 | Joel Rosario | Chad Brown | Ken & Sarah Ramsey |
| 2013 | Mizdirection | 5 | Mike Smith | Mike Puype | Jungle Racing/KMN Racing et al. |
| 2012 | Mizdirection | 4 | Mike Smith | Mike Puype | Jungle Racing/KMN Racing et al |
| 2011 | Regally Ready | 4 | Corey Nakatani | Steve Asmussen | Vinery Stable |
| 2010 | Chamberlain Bridge | 6 | Jamie Theriot | Bret Calhoun | Carl Moore Management |
| 2009 | California Flag | 5 | Joe Talamo | Brian Koriner | Hi Card Ranch (Keith Card) |
| 2008 | Desert Code | 4 | Richard Migliore | David Hofmans | Tarabilla Farms (Susan Osborne) |
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