When the Breeders’ Cup first visited Keeneland five years ago it was sophomore Runhappy who lit up the World Championships with a hair-on-fire stretch run in the Sprint (G1). For this year’s $2 million Sprint, will it be the 3-year-old Yaupon who streaks to the line, or will it be one of the many older horses with more expertise? There are plenty who fit that profile.

It only seems as if Whitmore faced Runhappy in 2015, but he was only 2 at the time. The venerable gelding will be making his fourth start in the six-furlong Sprint. Always game, the son of Pleasantly Perfect was third in last year’s Sprint behind champion Mitole and Shancelot. Trainer Ron Moquett has the old boy as sharp as he can be based on a snappy :46 4/5 half-mile Oct. 25 at Churchill Downs.

Experience also plays into the hands of Firenze Fire, who makes his 30th career start in the Sprint. Fifth a year ago, he was a 2 3/4-length winner of Belmont Park‘s Vosburgh Invitational Stakes (G2) Sept. 26 while under the care of Kelly Breen, who took over the horse’s training earlier this year.

“He was a nice horse when I got him and he’s continued to be a nice horse,” said Breen. “He looks like a nice horse, trains like a nice horse, and he runs like a nice horse.

“You don’t get into the Breeders’ Cup without having a quality horse. Anybody can win it and I’m glad to have an opportunity.”The wildest of wild cards in the race is the George Weaver-trained Vekoma, who was perhaps the best horse in training earlier this year with back-to-back wins in the June 6 Runhappy Carter Handicap (G1) at seven panels and the July 4 Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1). However, the 4-year-old son of Candy Ride has not started since but has been firing bullets in works at Saratoga Race Course.

Diamond Oops showed he’s just as good on dirt as turf last time out, taking Keeneland’s Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2), the route also taken by Runhappy. A non-factor in last year’s Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), he appears razor sharp for this.

But a pair of 3-year-olds may trump experience. Yaupon has dazzled in his four starts and the dark bay Uncle Mo colt was impressive Oct. 1 at Pimlico Race Course, waltzing to a four-length score in the Chick Lang Stakes (G3).

His speed may be matched the 3-year-old filly Frank’s Rockette, a 7 1/4-length winner of the Gallant Bloom Handicap (G2) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park. By leading sire Into Mischief, she’s a homebred for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and has won three successive graded sprint stakes in New York. Of note is she’ll be facing C Z Rocket, who was raced by Fletcher before being claimed in late April. The 6-year-old City Zip gelding has climbed the ladder in Southern California with trainer Peter Miller, winning the Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G2) in late September. Miller has won the Sprint twice with Roy H in 2017-18, as well as the Turf Sprint (G1) from 2017-19.

ENTRIES: BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT (G1)

Keeneland, Saturday, November 07, 2020, Race 8

• Grade I
• 6f
• Dirt
• $2,000,000
• 3 yo’s & up
• 2:36 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Echo Town (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	124	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
2	C Z Rocket (FL)	Luis Saez	126	Peter Miller	7/2
3	Collusion Illusion (FL)	Flavien Prat	124	Mark Glatt	20/1
4	Bon Raison (KY)	Adam Beschizza	126	Jack Sisterson	30/1
5	Manny Wah (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Wayne M. Catalano	30/1
6	Frank’s Rockette (KY)	Junior Alvarado	121	William I. Mott	10/1
7	Whitmore (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Ron Moquett	15/1
8	Firenze Fire (FL)	Jose Lezcano	126	Kelly J. Breen	8/1
9	Empire of Gold (KY)	Declan Carroll	124	Terry Eoff	30/1
10	Yaupon (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Steven M. Asmussen	7/2
11	Diamond Oops (KY)	Florent Geroux	126	Patrick L. Biancone	8/1
12	Hog Creek Hustle (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	126	Vickie L. Foley	30/1
13	Jasper Prince (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Hideyuki Mori	30/1
14	Vekoma (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	George Weaver	3/1
15	Lasting Legacy (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1