Bentornato lived up to his role as the favorite. (Jenny Doyle/Past The Wire)
Classic Saturday: Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)
Gives D’Angelo and Ortiz, Jr., back-to-back BC G1 stakes
Breeders’ Cup Release
DEL MAR, Calif.—Leon King Stable Corp.’s Bentornato ($5.40), second in this race last year, lived up to his role as the favorite this time around in scoring a 2 ¼-length victory over Imagination in the 42nd running of the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Saturday afternoon at Del Mar.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Bentornato covered 6 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:08.20. The victory completed a consecutive race sweep for D’Angelo and Ortiz, who won the Prevagen Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) 40 minutes before with Shisospicy.
It is D’Angelo’s second Breeders’ Cup victory and 23rd for Ortiz with four coming in the Sprint.
Bentornato emerged with the lead out of the gate with defending champion Straight No Chaser and American Stage pressing him through opening fractions of :21.48 and :44.14. Approaching the top of the stretch, Bentornato put away Straight No Chaser and opened up on the field with none of the closers making any headway.
Bentornato increased his earnings to $2,322,180 with Saturday’s $1,040,000 check. In winning his first Grade 1 race, the 4-year-old Florida-bred son of Valiant Minister out of the Put It Back mare Her Special Way improved his record to 11-7-2-2.
Quotes:
Winning trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo (Bertornato) – “So happy to stand here again. We prepared these two horses all year round to have them ready for today and it worked perfectly. We think about all the small details, like the travel and everything. They figured it out and they showed up today. I am just grateful to God to stand here.”
Can you believe that you really won two races in a row here: “I think I don’t know what is going on now, but probably today, we will know. But in two days, we’re working again.”
Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Bertornato) – (Trainer) Jose (D’Angelo) said he was doing so good honestly. We were so positive on the horse. All we wanted was a clean break, and after that, I let him be, let him be him. He can use that speed, natural speed.
“He’s a nice horse. I had Straight No Chaser right beside me. And, he was in that order as a 3-year-old last year, and he just got beat by a head by that horse. So, I just tried to ride him with confidence. I was working my horse since the summer. I know I was going to have some horse at the end.”
Second-place trainer Bob Baffert (Imagination) – “I got excited a little bit but (Bentornato) kept going. He didn’t come back to us. Oh, yeah, I am happy with his effort. He has been training really well. This was his second time off the layoff so it was pretty good.”
Second-place jockey Juan Hernandez (Imagination) – “I had a really nice trip, similar to my last race. My horse was traveling really well around the turn and saw the opportunity to go through the hole. My horse did pretty good and I got excited for a little bit around the quarter pole but the winner never stopped. We ran a good second. My horse is improving a lot and he’s a nice horse.”
Third-place trainer Mark Glatt (Dr. Venkman) – “He’s very consistent and he ran really good and had a great trip. The winner was the king of the race today and it would have been nice to have one more jump to get him second money, but he ran great. We really had a tough time deciding between the Sprint and the Dirt Mile and really went back and forth with it. Luckily he got a good trip today. The winner is a magnificent horse and we were just third-best as it turns out. He’s a nice horse. He gets a check every time. Simply a very nice horse.”
Third-place jockey Umberto Rispoli (Dr. Venkman) – “I had an amazing trip. I was on the inside and had plenty of chance to come around. I gave him a really good trip, he didn’t have any kickback in his face down the backside. A shame I couldn’t get the second (place). It was just a bob at the wire. I was really sure I would get there (for second), but he ran a hell of a race. I can’t complain about it.”
Fourth-place jockey Ryusei Sakai (American Stage) – “We went to the front, on-pace as we planned. He has speed to do so. I thought he might finish in second at one point on the homestretch. He will improve even more next year.”
Fourth-place tariner Yoshito Yahagi (American Stage) – “It was a nice run against world best sprinters on dirt. It was also a nice ride by Ryusei. American Stage matured mentally especially through his travel to Dubai this past spring. We would like to beat the first-three next year.”
Fifth-place trainer Richard Mandella (Kopion) – “She looked like she tried hard and had a tough trip. I had hoped she could get there (at the top of the stretch), but it didn’t work out.”
Seventh-place trainer Dan Blacker (Straight No Chaser, last year’s winner) – “My first impression is that obviously he’s just not the same as last year. For whatever reason, perhaps he’s just had a long campaign. He came back after an average performance like in Dubai and he gave us all the impression that he was going to run well, but he was just not quite the same as last year, unfortunately. Still a great horse and we’re looking forward to seeing his babies.”
