Perhaps the biggest surprise when it comes to assessing Nakatomi’s performance in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita is not that he finished a close third as a 26-1 outsider behind defending champion Elite Power.
It was the fact the late-running gelding did so after shockingly finding himself contesting the pace in the run down the backstretch despite breaking a bit tardily under Luis Saez, who replaced Nakatomi’s regular jockey Tyler Gaffalione after the latter opted to keep his regular seat aboard the ultimate runner-up, Gunite, instead.
Nakatomi is one of two members of the prospective lineup for the 2024 Sprint to have competed in the event a year ago along with The Chosen Vron, who finished fifth, beaten 5 1/4 lengths by Elite Power, despite not getting his preferred trip as well. The speedy California-bred found himself racing closer to the rear than the front of the eight-horse field for the majority of the race.
Nakatomi will come into the 2024 Sprint the same way he prepped for last year’s edition, off a runner-up finish as the favorite in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland. Nakatomi finished a distant second behind the front-running Federal Judge as the even-money choice earlier this month in the Phoenix, a Win and You’re In event. It was a disappointing effort for many coming off his well-graded victory in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt at Saratoga, but not to the one whom it mattered the most – his trainer, Wesley Ward.
“I thought he ran a big race, considering we got unlucky. It was opening day of the meet, they had the track ripping fast, and hardly anybody came from off the pace all day,” said Ward, who uses Keeneland as his primary base of operation throughout most of the year. “My guy broke well, settled, and came running to be a clear second against the bias, which might have been a blessing because I wouldn’t have wanted him to run a 110 Beyer in that race right on top of the Breeders’ Cup either. It should set him up perfectly for a big run in the Sprint.”
Ward acknowledged he was probably more shocked than anyone to see Nakatomi with his head in front midway down the backstretch in last year’s Sprint.
“Tyler has ridden him his whole life and knows him like the back of his hand, but obviously was already committed to Steve’s [Asmusssen] horse [Gunite] last year,” Ward said. “We were fortunate to be able to pick up a very good rider in Luis, but he didn’t really know the horse and he let him run on early like you might do in a race like the Sprint. Around the turn, when Nakatomi began to drop back like he did, I thought he was done. Then he came on again, and I truly believe if ridden differently he would have certainly finished second and maybe given the winner a run for his money at the end. Tyler will be back aboard this time, and one thing I can guarantee, he won’t be in front this year.”
As for The Chosen Vron, he won six straight races, including the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar following his somewhat disappointing effort in the 2023 Sprint, before having his streak snapped when outgamed a neck by Raging Torrent after a race-long duel in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien going seven furlongs four weeks later. That nemesis also is among the large and talented field currently expected to contest this year’s very wide-open edition of the Sprint.
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