Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint: 5 trends for expert betting

The youngest Breeders’ Cup race is the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1), inaugurated in 2018 and slated to be run for the seventh time on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.

The grass dash for two-year-olds pits speedy American sprinters against talented challengers from Europe. It can be an imposing race to handicap at first glance, but so far it’s proven surprisingly simple to analyze.

Indeed, the first six editions of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint have produced five noteworthy trends you can use to narrow down the most likely win contenders:

1. Speed is the name of the game

As is befitting for a short sprint, speed is dominant in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Four out of six editions have been won in gate-to-wire fashion, and a fifth went to a pace-pressing winner who was never more than half a length off the lead.

2. Wesley Ward is the dominant trainer

Wesley Ward is known for training early-maturing juvenile sprinters, so it’s unsurprising that Ward has won three of the five editions of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint in which he’s saddled a starter. Plus, in one of the years Ward was beaten, he saddled the runner-up at 24-1 odds.

3. Beware jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. has enjoying resounding success in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He’s ridden in all six editions and has recorded three victories, all aboard Wesley Ward trainees.

4. Europe is rising to the occasion

American horses dominated the first three editions of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. But Europe is quickly catching up. Horses who prepped in Europe (including one American-trained filly) swept the exacta in 2021 and 2022, and they occupied the top three finishing positions in 2023.

5. Favorites and short-priced runners perform best

Despite the typically large field size, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint has churned out predictable winners. Favorites have gone 2-for-6 (33%), and every winner has started at under 7-1 odds. Placing $10 win bets on the top two betting choices each year would have cost $120 for a return of $200 while cashing in five out of six years.