Imagination Wins Santa Anita Sprint in Stunning Fashion

Coming off an eight-month layoff between races, it would have been fair to wonder how Imagination would perform in his return to competition at Santa Anita Park Sept. 28. The Into Mischief colt exceeded even the wildest of expectations, bursting down the center of the track and overtaking the race's defending victor to win the six-furlong, $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint (G2). As a result of crossing the wire first, Imagination also earned a berth in the Nov. 1 $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar. "We gave him a lot of time," trainer Bob Baffert said of the layoff. "He looks beautiful. He has filled out and his work was just sensational the other day. I thought, you know what, I am just going to run him in the Sprint. There is not a race for him for another three weeks. But this will set him up. He's always been a good horse. He's a little quirky, but that is his thing." How Imagination went about winning could be called quirky. Even unorthodox. Regardless, it worked. And it was stunning. For most of the race, it appeared that favored Straight No Chaser was going to make it 2-for-2 in this race after winning it last year. The 2024 champion male sprinter was making it look easy for the first five furlongs. Straight No Chaser had posted fractions of :22.02, :44.71, and :56.71 and found himself up 2 1/2 lengths at the eighth pole. But jockey Juan Hernandez aboard Imagination went far to the outside as the field approached the home turn. With Straight No Chaser in the lead and not much real estate left, Hernandez at one point was in the sixth path, but closed in the four path as rivals fell back. With a furlong left, Imagination came along the outside of Straight No Chaser and effortlessly blew past his foe, stopping the clock at 1:09, 1 3/4 lengths ahead of his nearest rival. "When I asked him to pick it up, he swung out and he passed everybody," said Hernandez. "This horse has talent. Bob told me to ride this horse with a lot of confidence. He was working really good and he was right. He did it really easy." Winning Sunday also snapped a seven-race losing streak for the colt, whose last victory came in the 2024 San Felipe Stakes (G2). Dr. Venkman finished second and Straight No Chaser third. Imagination paid $13.20 to win. Imagination was bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds and is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan. Straight No Chaser won this race last year en route to capturing the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He was the fifth Santa Anita Sprint winner to accomplish the double. Undoubtedly, Imagination's connections wouldn't mind being the sixth. The Santa Anita Sprint is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series. The Win and You're in contest provides $60,000 in entry fees, a $10,000 award to the nominator, and $10,000 in travel allowances if the horse is based outside of California.