A year ago, Straight No Chaser parlayed a win in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship with victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint to earn the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding sprinter. He’ll try and duplicate that feat this year, beginning with a title defense in the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship going six furlongs Sunday at The Great Race Place.

Straight No Chaser is among a field of eight entered in this year’s Santa Anita Sprint Championship, which serves as a “Win and You’re In” for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Other key contenders in the lineup are Dr. Venkman, winner of last month’s G2 Pat O’Brien going seven furlongs at Del Mar; and G1 winner Speed Boach, who set the pace in the Pat O’Brien before fading to fifth as the favorite.

For Straight No Chaser, this will be his first start in the U.S. since his half-length victory in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar. Trained by Dan Blacker for owner My Racehorse, Straight No Chaser went to Saudi Arabia in February for his return to the race and promptly scored in the G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint. He then headed to Dubai, where six weeks later, he finished a disappointing eighth in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen. Both races were also six furlongs.

A 6-year-old horse by Speightster, Straight No Chaser is 12: 7-0-1 with $2,636,300. Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will come west for his regular call on the reigning sprint champion.

Advertisement

Dr. Venkman won the Pat O’Brien by a half-length when coming from just off the pace along the inside under Umberto Rispoli. It was Dr. Venkman’s second stakes win and first stakes win in a sprint. Last year, the 5-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper scored in the G2 San Diego, going 1 1/16 miles at Del Mar.

Dr. Venkman is trained by Mark Glatt for owners Alipony Racing, Dan J. Agnew, Clint Bunch, and James Hailey. In three starts this year prior to the Pat O’Brien, Dr. Venkman was second in both the G3 Triple Bend at Santa Anita and G3 Kelly’s Landing at Churchill Downs, and fourth in the G1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. He has an overall record of 10: 4-4-0 with $661,300 in earnings.

Speed Boat Beach in the Pat O’Brien dueled through opening fractions of 22.53 and 44.87 seconds before fading in the stretch under Juan Hernandez. On Sunday, he’ll have a new rider as trainer Bob Baffert has named Hall of Famer Mike Smith to ride Speed Boat Beach. Hernandez will jump aboard stablemate Imagination, who was a supplemented entry to the field after not being originally nominated.

Speed Boat Beach’s only other start this year was in May at Churchill Downs. Returning from a 15-month layoff in the six-furlong St. Mathews Overnight Stakes, the 5-year-old horse by Bayern flashed speed early before fading to last in a 10-horse field. He comes in with a record of 9: 4-1-0 with $504,350 and in earnings for owners by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman.

THE G2 SANTA ANITA SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

Advertisement

Dr. Venkman – Umberto Rispoli – 126

Straight No Chaser – John Velazquez – 124

Awesome Rhythm – Armando Ayuso – 122

Smooth Cruisein – Kyle Frey – 118

Speed Boat Beach – Mike Smith – 122

Wound Up – David Cohen – 122

Mbagnick- Hector Berrios – 122

Imagination – Juan Hernandez – 122

First post Sunday is 1 p.m. Admission gates will open at 11 a.m.

This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.