Four Wheel Drive Rolls to BC Juvenile Turf Sprint Win
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Four Wheel Drive wins the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park
Four Wheel Drive seized the lead early and held off Chimney Rock by three-quarters of a length to win the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita Park.
Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the bay colt completed the five-furlong race for 2-year-olds in :55.66 on firm turf. Another Miracle finished third.
Four Wheel Drive races for Breeze Easy, a partnership headed by Mike Hall and Sam Ross. They've had tremendous success with juveniles of late, winning last year's Norfolk Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot with Shang Shang Shang. Their latest top-level winner is a son of Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and Triple Crown winner American Pharoah . Heading into the day, the Ashford Stud stallion ranked as the top first-crop sire by progeny earnings. Four Wheel Drive's score, along with Another Miracle's finish, will pad American Pharoah's lead.
Mike Hall (center) and Wesley Ward (right) celebrate winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
"We got it. It's great for the owners, fantastic for Coolmore (Ashford Stud), fantastic for everyone that put a lot of money behind American Pharoah," Ward said. "There is a lot riding on him as far as how his progeny will turn out. For this horse to turn out to be a Breeders' Cup winner is sensational. (Four Wheel Drive) is a real cool dude. He takes it all in. He popped right out like a real professional horse will, and he kind of settled. When (Ortiz) called upon him, away he went."
Four Wheel Drive broke sharpest of 12 runners from post 9 and was joined by Chimney Rock, who broke from the rail, and Band Practice. The opening quarter-mile went in :21.55. As the field ran through the bend, getting a half in :44.03, Four Wheel Drive separated himself from Chimney Rock, with a host of others chasing without cutting into his lead.
"He broke good and put me on the lead," Ortiz said. "He was relaxed, and turning for home when I asked him, he responded. He ran really well. He's a nice horse."
Four Wheel Drive ran the final furlong in :11.63. After Chimney Rock, it was 1 1/2 lengths back to the closing Another Miracle. Kimari, the 5-2 second choice, rallied for fourth.
The winner paid $5, $3.40, and $3. Chimney Rock returned $8.20 and $5.40, and Another Miracle paid $7.80 to show.
(L-R): Irad Ortiz Jr. and Wesley Ward celebrate their Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint score
Trainer Gary Contessa was pleased with Another Miracle's third-place effort after the colt ran into traffic trouble.
"He's smaller in stature, and he really got beat up going down the backside," he said. "He was like a ping-pong ball, just in the wrong place with three or four horses inside of him and three outside of him, and you see him beat up. Then to overcome that and come running and finish third, I thought he ran a heck of a race. I'm very proud of him today."
Four Wheel Drive is out of the stakes-winning More Than Ready mare Funfair. At 2, Funfair won the five-furlong Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park for breeder Dr. Catherine Wills and trainer Christophe Clement. Funfair is out of the Distant View mare Fleuron, a half sister to Flagrant, the dam of Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Furthest Land.
Funfair was bred back to American Pharoah for 2020.
Four Wheel Drive, bred in Kentucky by Glenvale Stud, was entered into the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale but was an out for Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency. Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo paid $525,000 for him last year from the Paramount Sales consignment at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale. Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds ran him through The Gulfstream Sale in March, and he was an $825,000 RNA. Hartley/DeRenzo did sell Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) morning-line favorite and runner-up Donna Veloce for $800,000 at the same sale.
Four Wheel Drive's half sister Monthly, by Malibu Moon , is cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect in the Keeneland November sale.
Four Wheel Drive entered the Breeders' Cup off two starts: a 3 1/4-length debut win in the Aug. 31 Rosie's Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf at Colonial Downs and a three-length tour de force Oct. 6 in the six-furlong Futurity Stakes (G3T) at Belmont Park under Ortiz.