Book'em Danno Resumed His Winning Ways and Claimed the First Round Against Bentornato
- Turf Diario
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
The 2025 champion sprinter defeated his great rival in the True North Stakes (G3) at Saratoga and confirmed that he remains an absolute benchmark among American sprinters
SARATOGA SPRINGS, New York (Special to Turf Diario).– For much of last season, the discussion was wide open. Book'em Danno and Bentornato (Valiant Minister) dominated the sprint scene in the United States, but they never faced each other directly. The ballots eventually tipped in favor of the former in the voting for the Eclipse Award as Champion Sprinter, though the debate remained in place.
Now, finally, the rivalry began to unfold on the track.
And the first chapter had a clear winner.
With a definitive closing kick in the decisive meters, Book'em Danno defeated Bentornato by three-quarters of a length in the True North Stakes (G3), contested this Saturday at Saratoga, a venue that has practically transformed into his second home.
The race gathered all the ingredients to capture the fans' attention. On one hand, the reigning champion of the division. On the other, the winner of the 2025 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), who was returning to action following his second-place finish in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1).
Furthermore, the circumstances seemed to favor Book'em Danno. Saratoga is the racetrack where he has shown his best versions, and the 1300 meters of the journey looked slightly more favorable for his characteristics than for those of Bentornato, whose specialty seems to lie over somewhat shorter distances.
The competition developed exactly according to that script.
Bentornato had to involve himself from the start in a demanding battle for the lead alongside Listenupshance, covering the opening fractions in a blistering 21s76/100 and 43s44/100. It was only well into the straight that he managed to shake off that rival, but the effort would begin to take its toll.
Meanwhile, Paco López kept Book'em Danno poised, waiting for the right moment to launch his attack.
When he did, the result was immediate.
The son of Bucchero began to close ground with determination and ended up taking command in the final stages to cross the wire in 1m14s79/100, very close to the 1m14s64/100 he had registered when winning this same race in 2025.
"Maybe now we can put this argument to bed. I'm tired of hearing about Bentornato," trainer Derek Ryan quipped with a smile, making it clear how much he valued this victory.
On the other side, both jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. and trainer José D'Angelo expressed satisfaction with the performance of Bentornato, who was racing for the first time since March.
"He ran a huge race. He set very strong fractions and fought until the end. I'm very proud of him," D'Angelocommented.
For Book'em Danno, by contrast, Saratoga was once again conquered territory. His local record now shows an impressive tally of 5 victories and a second-place finish from six outings.
The racetrack fans recognize him as one of their own and treated him to another warm ovation when he returned to the winner's circle.
"He's like New York's adopted son," joked Jay Briscione, managing partner of Atlantic Six Racing.
The victory additionally reaffirmed the extraordinary form of Book'em Danno, who in 2025 had achieved an unprecedented feat by winning Saratoga's three main sprint stakes: the True North (G3), the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes (G2), and the Forego Stakes (G1).
However, the blueprint for this season will be different.
Ryan advanced that he will likely skip some traditional stops with a very concrete goal: arriving fresh and at his peak for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland.
"We want to have a fresh horse for November. Our main focus is Keeneland," he explained.
With 9 triumphs from 18 presentations and earnings exceeding 2.1 million dollars, Book'em Danno proved once again why he was voted champion last year.
And, at least for now, he also made it clear who won the opening round of a rivalry that promises to keep writing thrilling chapters.
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