2013 Santa Anita Sprint Championship; Goldencents Looking For His Pot O’ Gold

2013 Santa Anita Sprint Championship; Goldencents Looking For His Pot O’ Gold

The 2013 (GI) Santa Anita Sprint Championship, formerly called the Ancient Title, takes place in balmy Santa Anita, California on Saturday, October 5, 2013 and is one of the Breeders’ Cup Championship series “Win and You’re In” for the Sprint to take place on Saturday, November 2, 2013 in Santa Anita. The race is for 3 year-olds and up on the dirt going 6F for a purse of $250,000 and will round out the Santa Anita Breeders’ Cup prep races.

The 2013 Santa Anita Sprint Championship is the 9th race on a card of 10 with a post time of 5:00 PM PT.

After a not so hot Kentucky Derby Trail, Goldencents, out of sire Into Mischief who is trained by Doug O’Neil, is seeking a win here for a Breeders’ Cup Sprint berth. The former 2013 Santa Anita Derby winner is back on his favorite track at a shorter distance and I think could win this race Saturday. Last out on August 25, 2013 he ran second at Del Mar to Fed Biz in the (GII) Pat O’Brian Handicap and prior to that a second in the Bing Crosby Stakes (GI) on July 28 behind Points Off The Bench whom he will face here again. He’s training very well at Santa Anita working 6F on fast dirt in 1:11.40 finishing 1/9 on September 27th. Goldencents gets a new jockey up with R. Bejarano in the irons and leaves from lucky #8.

The Smarty Jones boy Centralinteligence is one of two 5 year-old geldings in the field and most recently ran the biggest race of his career in a 3 ½ length romp in the (GI) Triple Bend Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 29, 2013. He ran 6th in the same race the year prior and his form is solid right now. Trained by Ron Ellis, Centralinteligence has run three times this year all at Betfair Hollywood Park where he is based. He threw a few sharp drills there for his comeback, one being a five furlong gate drill in a minute flat on September 29. With a twelve race career, he has hit the board eight times, four of them wins with earnings of $308,921. He has won a few allowance races at Santa Anita so we’ll see how he does this year here. He’ll get back his rider V. Espinoza and runs from post #3.

Points Offthebench won his way into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on July 28 this year in the Bing Crosby Stakes at Del Mar, his most recent race, and is on a hot streak after winning his last three races. With a racing career of 7:5-1-1, he is going to be raring to go here Saturday. I’m sure this is a prep race for him but every time I say that in other races, they win anyway. He’s been training like a monster at Santa Anita on the dirt and I think he’ll most definitely hit the board from post #7 with M. Smith in the saddle.

The 2013 running of the Santa Anita Sprint Championship looks to be a tough race, but aren’t they all? Trinniberg is back in this race looking to win a berth again after he won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has been off form though and I’m not a big fan of his so he’ll have to beat me at the window. The pace looks to be dictated by Distinctiv Passion so hopefully these guys don’t get wired by him at the finish line. I hope Goldencents, Centralinteligence and Points Offthebench run a fabulous and safe race Saturday. Good luck and safe run to them all.

Post Positions & Odds for the 2013 Santa Anita Sprint Championship
1. Gonna Fly Now 10/1 J.Talamo/W.Sadler
2. Declassify R.Napravnik/B.Baffert SCRATCHED
3. Centralinteligence 7/2 V.Espinoza/R.Ellis
4. Distinctiv Passion 10/1 E.Maldonado/J.Bonde
5. Trinniberg 7/2 C.Valdivia/B.Parboo
6. Roman Threat 4/1 G.Stevens/B.Baffert
7. Points Offthebench 7/2 M.Smith/T.Yakteen
8. Goldencents 5/2 R.Bejarano/D.O’Neil
UPDATED RESULTS: 7, 8, 4, 1, 6, 3, 5