Imperial Hint

Imperial Hint won half of his eight starts as a 3-year-old in 2016, including a stakes victory at Tampa Bay Downs.

The Imperialism colt opened his 2017 campaign with a win in the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park before a breakthrough graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 General George Stakes, also at Laurel, in February. He extended his winning streak to three in July when he won the Grade 3, $250,000 Smile Sprint Stakes. The Smile was a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" race for the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint, guaranteeing Imperial Hint a spot in that race in November.

In his final prep race for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Imperial Hint won the Donald Levine Memorial Stakes by 6 3/4 lengths at Parx Racing. The colt then ran a very good second to Roy H in the TwinSpires Sprint on Nov. 4 at Del Mar, taking a brief lead in early stretch before yielding to that foe in the final furlong.

Imperial Hint made his 2018 debut at Tampa Bay Downs on March 25 and surged away to win the Horse Races Now Sprint Stakes by five lengths. In his subsequent start, Imperial Hint faded late on a sloppy track on the Kentucky Derby undercard and ran sixth in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Stakes. He rebounded nicely five weeks later when he held off a late surge from Whitmore to win the Grade 2 True North Stakes at Belmont Park. Imperial Hint made his next start at Saratoga Race Course on July 28 and made easy work of six opponents in a powerhouse victory in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap.

His race in the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes on Sept. 29 at Belmont Park was similarly impressive, leading by open lengths at the top of the stretch before jockey Javier Castellano eased up to cross the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front. The win earned Imperial Hint a place in the 2018 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Imperial Hint’s three-race winning streak came to an end in the TwinSpires Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3, as he checked in third behind repeat winner Roy H and Whitmore.

In 2019 Imperial Hint began his 6-year-old season in the Pelican Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, finishing third, before shipping to the UAE to compete on the Dubai World Cup undercard. There he tracked the pace set by fellow American X Y Jet throughout, and though he made up some ground late could do no better than third in the $2.5 million Golden Shaheen.

Imperial Hint did not race for 17 weeks after the Dubai trip, returning on July 27 at Saratoga in a bid to score a repeat victory in the Vanderbilt. Facing a field that included multiple Grade 1 winner Mitole, fresh off a dazzling win in the Met Mile, Imperial Hint showed his was back in peak condition when he swept to the lead entering the stretch. He powered well clear and rolled to victory in a track-record time of 1:07.92, the fastest three-quarter-mile race on the main track since Saratoga opened in 1863. In his final prep for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Imperial Hint was headed by Firenze Fire in the stretch of the Grade 1 Vosburgh Stakes but battled back gamely in the final strides to score a repeat victory by a nose in 1:08.35 for three-quarters of a mile.

Imperial Hint was scratched before competing in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Sprint and returned to action Dec. 21 at Gulsfteram Park with a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes.