With Richi on Hand, Speed Promises High Drama at Del Mar

The three major Breeders’ Cup sprints in 2025 promise pure excitement, with the Chilean star among the highlights of an explosive program

Richi Seeks Chile’s First Breeders’ Cup Victory / BREEDERS' CUP

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special Correspondent for Turf Diario at Del Mar, California)

DEL MAR, California — In the Breeders’ Cup, the sprinters are often the ones to light the first fireworks, and the 42nd edition at Del Mar will be no exception. The three premier speed contests—the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, the GI PNC Bank Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, and the GI Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint—bring together an international cast of elite runners, blending power, precision, and pure pace to deliver spectacle from the break to the wire.

Saturday’s action opens with the Turf Sprint over five furlongs on turf—where the strategy is simple: break fast, hang on, and never look back. Without last year’s hero Arizona Blaze (Sergei Prokofiev) in the gate, the stage is set for fresh rivalries. A year after Starlust (Zoustar) stunned Santa Anita at 33-1, redemption runs through Del Mar, led by local stars and compelling stories. California’s Phil D’Amato sends out Motorious (Muhaarar), a seasoned veteran returning fresh after just two starts this season, and already a proven winner at this venue, having captured the GIII Green Flash Handicap here.

Facing him will be the mare Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy), another West Coast standout from Richard Baltas, who isn’t afraid to tackle the males. The Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran runner, third in this race a year ago, exits a career-best victory in the GI Jaipur Stakes at Saratoga and will retire after the race to sell at Fasig-Tipton. Also lining up is Shisospicy (Mitole), a multiple graded winner and lightning-fast breaker who has hit the board in seven straight starts.

Later in the afternoon comes the Filly & Mare Sprint—seven furlongs of sheer class and firepower. On paper, it shapes up as a clash of the Richards. On one side, Richard Mandella will look to reclaim Breeders’ Cup glory with Tamara (Bolt d’Oro), the daughter of the legendary Beholder (Henny Hughes), who roared back from injury to dominate the GIII Chillingworth Stakes. On the other, Richard Baltas saddles the unbeaten Sweet Azteca (Sharp Azteca), perfect through 2025 and victorious in both the GII Great Lady M and GIII Rancho Bernardo Stakes.

But amid the American headliners, South American eyes will be fixed on Richi (Practical Joke), the Chilean-bred mare trained by Bob Baffert, who seeks a breakthrough performance and the first-ever Breeders’ Cup win for Chile. A stakes winner and twice runner-up to the undefeated Cavalieri in the GII Zenyatta and GI Beholder Mile, Richishortens up to seven furlongs after three tries at the mile, aiming to etch her name into Breeders’ Cup history. Baffert’s powerful lineup also includes Hope Road (Quality Road) and Splendora (Audible), completing a formidable trio.

The grand finale for the speed division will be the GI Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint, a furious six-furlong dash on dirt where the world’s fastest will clash without compromise. The race commemorates the 20th anniversary of Desert Stormer (Storm Cat)’s historic win against males, and fittingly, another filly—Kopion (Omaha Beach)—will try to replicate that feat for the same trainer, Mandella, and the Spendthrift Farm team. The multiple Grade 1-winning 4-year-old will face tested rivals like Bentornato (Valiant Minister), fresh off a powerhouse performance at Churchill Downs, and Imagination (Into Mischief), who reinvented himself as a sprinter when taking the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship.

Several 2024 stars return as well, including Straight No Chaser (Speightster), Mullikin (Violence), and Nakatomi(Firing Line), ensuring a rematch loaded with adrenaline and speed.

Three races, one theme: pure velocity. And for Chile, all hopes rest on Richi, the mare daring to turn a Breeders’ Cup dream into history.