Imagination sweeps past Straight No Chaser in the stretch. (Benoit Photo)
With the win, Imagination earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Making his first start since late January, Imagination shocked the on-track crowd Sunday at Santa Anita when sweeping past champion Straight No Chaser in deep stretch and winning the Grade II, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship. With the victory, Imagination earned a fees-paid berth to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Straight No Chaser (3-5), North America’s reigning champion sprinter, hustled to the early lead with John Velazquez aboard and completed an opening quarter mile in 22.02 seconds. Imagination (5-1), with Juan Hernandez up, broke in the middle of the field but then soon fell back to second-to-last.
Straight No Chaser motored a half mile in 44.71 seconds, then reached the eighth pole in 56.71 seconds with a clear 2 ½-length advantage. But uncorking a rally on the far outside was Imagination, who collared Straight No Chaser inside the final sixteenth of a mile and went on to win by 1 ¾ lengths.
“When I asked him to pick it up, he swung out and he passed everybody,” said Hernandez, who earlier on the card teamed with Baffert to win the GII Zenyatta with Cavalieri. “This horse has talent. Bob told me to ride this horse with a lot of confidence. He was working really good and he was right. He did it really easy.”
Dr. Venkman (4-1), winner of the GII Pat O’Brien last time out for trainer Mark Glatt, also went pass Straight No Chaser in the late going to finish second under Umberto Rispoli.
Imagination, trained by Bob Baffert, won in a time of 1:09.00.
“We gave him a lot of time,” Baffert said of Imagination’s layoff. “He looks beautiful. He has filled out and his work was just sensational the other day. I thought, you know what, I am just going to run him in the Sprint. There is not a race for him for another three weeks. But this will set him up. He’s always been a good horse. He’s a little quirky but that is his thing.”
As for Straight No Chaser, who is trained by Dan Blacker for owner My Racehorse, he was making his first start since April 5 in Dubai.
“I thought he ran good,” Velazquez said. “It had been a long time. Hopefully he’ll be ready for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Imagination hadn’t started since Jan. 25 when finishing fourth in the GII San Pasqual going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita. His only previous stakes win came in last year’s GII San Felipe going 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita.
Imagination is a 4-year-old colt by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Magical Feeling. He was purchased for $1,050,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September yearling sale. Imagination is campaigned by an extensive partnership that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. With the win, he improved to 13: 3-5-2 with $600,700 in earnings.
Imagination paid $13.20, $5.00 and $2.80. Dr. Venkman returned $4.20 and $2.40. Straight No Chaser paid $2.40.
Live racing resumes Friday at Santa Anita with a nine-race card starting at 1 p.m. The program features a robust $104,929 carryover in the $1 Super High offered on the ninth and final race.
