Recap and quotes courtesy of Breeders’ Cup publicity
Leon King Stable Corp.’s OBS graduate Bentornato (Valiant Minister-Her Special Way, by Put It Back), second in this race last year, lived up to his role as the favorite this time around in scoring a 2 ¼-length victory over Imagination in the 42nd running of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) for 3-year-olds and up Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Trained by Jose D’Angelo and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Bentornato covered 6 furlongs on the fast main track in 1:08.20. The victory completed a consecutive race sweep for D’Angelo and Ortiz, who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) 40 minutes before with fellow OBS Grad Shisospicy.
It is D’Angelo’s second Breeders’ Cup victory and 23rd for Ortiz with four coming in the Sprint.
Bentornato emerged with the lead out of the gate with defending champion Straight No Chaser and American Stage pressing him through opening fractions of :21.48 and :44.14. Approaching the top of the stretch, Bentornato put away Straight No Chaser and opened up on the field with none of the closers making any headway.
Bentornato increased his earnings to $2,322,180 and improved his record to 11-7-2-2. He is a two-time OBS graduate, having been sold by Stuart Morris at the 2022 October Yearling Sale and then purchased by Champion Equine for $170,000 out of the Golden Rock Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2023 March Sale after breezing in :20 4/5.
Winning trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo – “So happy to stand here again. We prepared these two horses all year round to have them ready for today and it worked perfectly. We think about all the small details, like the travel and everything. They figured it out and they showed up today. I am just grateful to God to stand here.”
Can you believe that you really won two races in a row here: “I think I don’t know what is going on now, but probably today, we will know. But in two days, we’re working again.”
Winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. – (Trainer) Jose (D’Angelo) said he was doing so good honestly. We were so positive on the horse. All we wanted was a clean break, and after that, I let him be, let him be him. He can use that speed, natural speed.
“He’s a nice horse. I had Straight No Chaser right beside me. And, he was in that order as a 3-year-old last year, and he just got beat by a head by that horse. So, I just tried to ride him with confidence. I was working my horse since the summer. I know I was going to have some horse at the end.”