TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint

Less than two hours after Peter Miller sat down in the Breeders’ Cup press room to field questions about his two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal, the California-based trainer was back in the hot seat. Smiling for the camera during his second round of interviews, Miller’s appreciation for Twinspires Breeders’ Cup Sprint victor Roy H was humbling.

“[He’s] just a sound horse,” Miller said. “Just a real, solid sound horse. He’s brings it every time and I couldn’t be more proud. Words don’t even express my feelings.”

While the field for this year’s Sprint was almost identical to that of last year’s, the start considerably more bumpy Roy H. The 6-year-old gelding hit the wall of his stall in post-position 9 at the break, wobbling briefly before he could be righted by jockey Paco Lopez.

Rocketing to the lead, Promises Fulfilled set the pace on the inside rail but the momentum proved too much and he soon faded back to second as Roy H found his stride and punched the gas on the outside.

Running on cruise control four-wide on the outside, his rivals never even saw Roy H as he took command to hit the half mile mark in :44.21. Straightening out as the field turned for home, Roy H kept pounding away at the ground, extending his winning margin from a half-length to three lengths in early stretch.

Rallying from last after having drifted at the start, Whitmore cut a path through the pack up the middle in a last-ditch effort to run down the leader as they approached the finish line.

Moving with the same steady clip that had earned him the title of champion sprinter, Roy H never faltered, crossing the finish line 3 1/4 lengths ahead of his competition in 1:08.24.

“He charged today,” said Lopez. “That horse won today with no problem. He knows what’s going on today. He dances, he’s very happy today.”—Meredith Daugherty