Big Drama proves tough to catch in Sprint

Jockey Eibar Coa sent Harold Queen's homebred BIG DRAMA (Montbrook) straight

to the front from post 1 in Saturday's $1,818,000

Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), and ultimately never looked back as the

four-year-old easily held off 11 rivals to take the six-furlong dash by 1 1/2

lengths. Setting a blistering pace of :21 1/5 and :44 2/5, the David Fawkes

trainee finished up in 1:09 over the fast track.

Coa followed trainer David Fawkes' instructions to the tee as got the 5-1 off

the inside once he established a clear lead.

"I wanted him off the rail and he (Coa) floated him off the rail," Fawkes

said. "He did everything perfectly. He went wire-to-wire; how about that?"

"We weren't happy about the post position, so we knew we had to work on

that," Coa revealed. "But on our side was the fact that he always gets out of

the gate good and has speed to get good position. Today, he broke sharp and we

got the lead and kept going. He did everything on his own to the stretch. When

the rest started coming to me, he just pushed harder and won."

A longshot filled the place slot as 23-1 outsider Hamazing Destiny (Salt

Lake) rallied from 10th to edge California invaders Smiling Tiger (Hold That

Tiger) and Supreme Summit (Cactus Ridge) in a three-way photo. Warrior's Reward

(Medaglia d'Oro) ran fifth and was followed by Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry),

Kinsale King (Yankee Victor), Cash Refund (Petionville), Riley Tucker (Harlan's

Holiday), Atta Boy Roy (Tribunal), Girolamo (A.P. Indy), Pashito the Che

(Flatter)

"Calvin Borel noticed that there was a little bit of sensitivity in the right

forelimb. Jumped off the horse. The horse was taken back in the ambulance and

has just been examined and has sustained a mild injury of the medial branch of

the suspensory ligament, which is all good news," Dr. C. Wayne McIlwraith said

soon after the race. "The other point is that it has not had an ultrasound

examination, but Dr. (Foster) Northrop reports that it is very minor on clinical

examination.

"It's certainly not life-threatening, and it's probably not

career-threatening. We'll have more information after the ultrasound

examination."

Big Drama returned $12.40, $7 and $5. Hamazing Destiny paid $19.80 and

$12.20, while 5-1 third choice Smiling Tiger returned $5 after a finished a neck

behind the runner-up and a head in front of Supreme Summit. The exacta returned

$254.80, the trifecta $2,396.60, and the 1-4-5-9 superfecta $13,939.

Big Drama won five of six starts as a juvenile, sweeping the three-race

Florida Stallion S. series and notching the Delta Jackpot S. (G3). He endured a

brief five-race campaign at three, opening up the season with a victory in the

Swale S. (G2) that was negated by the stewards after he interfered with a rival.

Subsequently fifth in the Preakness S. (G1), he next captured the Red Legend S.

at Charles Town by seven lengths then finished a neck second in the West

Virginia Derby (G2). He concluded his season with a sub-par sixth in the King's

Bishop S. (G1).

Kept sprinting this year, Big Drama kicked things off with back-to-back

victories in the Ponche H. and Smile Sprint H. (G2) over his home course of

Calder. However, he entered this off two minor setbacks at Saratoga when second

in both the Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G1) and Forego S. (G1). His record now

stands at 16-8-4-1, $2,639,560.