The $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) is Sunday’s 6-furlong dirt sprint feature and is a Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win, and You’re In” qualifier for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
The race began in 1983 as the Ancient Title Stakes at Hollywood Park, honoring the Hall of Fame sprinter Ancient Title, a two-time California Horse of the Year. It moved to Santa Anita and was renamed the Santa Anita Sprint Championship in 2012. It has been Grade 2 in recent years after earlier Grade 1 status.
Multiple winners include three-time hero Roy H (2017-2018), a two-time Breeders’ Cup champion, and Eclipse Award winner Dr. Schivel (2021, 2023).
Other standouts are recent Hall of Fame inductee Kona Gold, champion and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) hero Amazombie, Omaha Beach (2019) and most recently the fan favorite champion and Breeders’ Cup hero Straight No Chaser (2024). His 6 ¼-length score is the largest winning margin for the race.
This year’s renewal drew a field of five, including recent Bing Crosby Stakes (G1) winner Listenupshance (2-1), the 4-year-old Shancelot gelding trained by Doug O’Neill for Run Fast Racing and Great Friends Stables. He drew the rail and will carry Emisael Jaramillo.
A $10,000 yearling, he rose from claiming ranks and finished a close third in the True North Stakes (G3) at Saratoga, then nearly wired the Bing Crosby at Del Mar on July 25, holding on by a nose over Maximum Bourbon to qualify for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has a decent record of 13-4-3-3 with more than $438,000 earned, and if he replicates his last race, he’s a good bet on top.
Imagination (5-2), the 5-year-old Into Mischief horse trained by Bob Baffert, is the defending champion. Last year he rallied from off the pace to win this race by 1 ¾ lengths and then finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
This year he captured the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2) in Saudi Arabia, then ran fourth in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1), fourth in the True North, and ninth in the Hanshin Stakes (G3) at a mile in June and hasn’t raced since. He is a stretch-running closer who prefers to sit off the early speed and finish strongly. Juan Hernandez will ride.
Maximum Bourbon (6-5), a 4-year-old Maximum Security gelding trained by Phil D’Amato, gets Umberto Rispoli for the first time. Lightly raced with just seven starts, he won the St. Matthews Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs, then stalked in the Bing Crosby last out and just missed by a nose. He is a stalker who sits just off the leaders and produces a strong late kick.
Former claimer Ahrens (8-1) is the lone 3-year-old and makes his stakes debut for trainer John Sadler. The Modernist colt, who will be ridden by Joel Rosario, has won at Santa Anita (starter optional claiming) and is a determined frontrunner. This is a large class jump from allowance/starter company into graded company against proven older sprinters, but if he runs near to his last, he has a good shot to pick up a larger piece of the purse.
March of Time (12-1), a Justify horse and a half-brother to Grade 1 winner and sire Bodemeister, is Baffert’s “other” runner here. After two long layoffs in his short career, he’s been racing regularly in 2026 to win and finish second in allowance company before a fifth in the Pat O’Brien Stakes last out. He is typically a presser who sits close to the pace, and while he’s not a standout on paper, he carries a standout pedigree and connections, including jockey Kazushi Kimura.
Post time for the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, race 4, is 5:35 p.m. ET.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Listenupshance | E Jaramillo | D F O'Neill | 2/1 |
| 2 | Imagination | J J Hernandez | B Baffert | 5/2 |
| 3 | Ahrens | J Rosario | J W Sadler | 8/1 |
| 4 | March of Time | K Kimura | B Baffert | 12/1 |
| 5 | Maximum Bourbon | U Rispoli | P D'Amato | 6/5 |
Last Updated on 09/25/2026
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