DEL MAR, Calif. – Nobody was more surprised to see Nakatomi holding a narrow lead midway down the backstretch in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint than his trainer, Wesley Ward. But that is certain not to be the case when Nakatomi tries his luck again in a field absolutely loaded with early speed Saturday at Del Mar in the $2 million Sprint.
Despite dropping back to the middle of the pack around the turn after holding the early advantage, Nakatomi reasserted himself through the stretch to finish third, just two lengths behind defending champion Elite Power a year ago at Santa Anita. He earned a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
“We couldn’t get Tyler [Gaffalione], who knows the horse like the back of his hand, to ride him last year because he was already committed to Gunite, and around the turn when he began to drop back like he did, I thought he was done,” Ward said. “Then he came on again, and I believe if ridden differently he would have been second and maybe even given the winner a run for his money at the end.
“Tyler will be back on him this year, and one thing I can guarantee, he won’t be on the lead this time.”
Nakatomi, the only returning member from the 2023 Sprint, has been lightly raced this season, winning 1 of 4 starts, that victory a come-from-behind 1 1/4-length decision over Skelly in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt at Saratoga for which he again received a 105 Beyer. Nakatomi has started just once since, finishing a late-running second behind wire-to-wire winner Federal Judge in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland four weeks ago.
“I thought it was a perfect prep. He had to weave his way through traffic some and finished a nice second over a track that favored speed,” Ward said. “He came out of the race in good order and did not run too powerful a race on top of the Sprint, which should set up a lot better for him with so much early speed lined up in there.
“It’s the Breeders’ Cup, anything can happen, but he’s doing great. All he needs is a little luck.”
Federal Judge has come a long way in a relatively short time for trainer Brad Cox. He has gone from being a beaten favorite in an allowance race on July 20 at Saratoga to the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the Sprint following back-to-back, wire-to-wire victories that included a 5 1/2-length triumph over Nakatomi in the Phoenix for which he was awarded a lifetime-best 106 Beyer Figure.
But Federal Judge is not likely to get to the front as readily in the Sprint as he has in each of his last two victories with fleet rivals such as Mullikin, Straight No Chaser, and Skelly, among others, in the lineup.
But Cox is not about to take away what his horse does best in the biggest test of his career.
“The track was favoring speed. Flavien [Prat] did a good job of getting him in a good early position and taking control of the race, and it paid off,” Cox said looking back on the Phoenix. “It was a big performance, and I think we’re going to have to be aggressive out of there on Saturday. Speed’s his game, so we’ll see if he can take them the whole way again.”
Like Federal Judge, Mullikin and Straight No Chaser enter the Sprint in peak form. Mullikin has won all four of his starts in 2024, including the Grade 1 Forego going seven furlongs at Saratoga in his last start Aug. 24. Straight No Chaser has three wins in his last four races, including the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Sept. 29.
Mullikin will break from post position 10 in the 11-horse field.
“I think he’s doing as well as anyone coming into the race, the draw worked out pretty good for us, and I wouldn’t trade places with anybody in the field,” said Rodolphe Brisset, who has done an outstanding job managing Mullikin’s career.
Brisset said he doesn’t necessarily want to see Mullikin engage some of the other front-running types right off the bat.
“My horse ran the first six furlongs of the Forego in 1:09 flat and did it all on his own, so he’s plenty fast, but there’s some proper speed breaking from both sides and I don’t think we want or need to be any part of that,” Brisset said. “Fortunately, we don’t have to be too anxious at the gate with him anymore. He’s obviously figured out what we want him to do to be 4 for 4 this year, so we’ll just let the horse do his thing and if he’s good enough, he’s already proven he knows where the wire is.”
Trainer Steve Asmussen will send out Skelly and Gun Pilot. Asmussen is going for his second Sprint victory, having won the race in 2019 with Mitole.
Skelly, who has been on the lead at the first two calls in each of his last 14 starts, dating back to January 2023, sandwiched four victories at Oaklawn Park around a second-place finish to Remake in the Grade 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint to begin his campaign. He has gone winless in his last three tries, finishing second on each occasion, including to Nakatomi in the Vanderbilt.
Gun Pilot has made just two starts since upsetting the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Sprint on Derby Day, finishing third in the Grade 2 True North and a distant second to Mullikin in the Forego this summer at Saratoga. Like Nakatomi, he figures to benefit from an honest pace.
Remake is one of three Japanese hopefuls in the Sprint, along with outsiders Don Frankie and Meta Max.
Raging Torrent and Bentornato, the only 3-year-olds in the field but graded stakes winners in their last starts, round out the extremely competitive field.
– additional reporting by David Grening
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