Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint

Jose Ortiz doesn't ride at Del Mar regularly, but that doesn't stop him from winning there. As the finish line loomed in the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint, Ortiz kept scrubbing on Aloha West. The gallant little colt was flying from sixth, laser focused on leader Dr. Schivel. The question was, could Aloha West get there in time?

Dr. Schivel never gave up, but neither did Aloha West. Aloha West drew even with the leader, and the two raced together right to the wire. It would be not a nose bob but a nostril bob, and Aloha West's nostril got the job done.

"I just ride hard, three or four jumps to the wire," said Ortiz. "I thought I had it, but I wasn't sure."

The six-furlong Sprint can be a duel for speedsters, and this year Jackie's Warrior was considered the fastest, accounting for his 1-2 favoritism. He zoomed to the lead at the start, just as expected, while Grade 1 winner Dr. Schivel lurked in fourth, waiting for his opportunity.

Aloha West raced farther back in seventh as Jackie's Warrior clocked the first quarter-mile in :21.91. Around the turn, Dr. Schivel moved up on the outside, and he caught leader Jackie's Warrior when they turned for home.

Just as Dr. Schivel appeared home free, 11.30-1 shot Aloha West came hard, charging on the outside. Aloha West closed ground relentlessly, gamely never giving up, to score about as narrow a victory as possible without a dead heat.

Dr. Schivel finished second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of Following Sea. Favored Jackie's Warrior faded to sixth. Aloha West completed the six furlongs in 1:08.49.

"I liked where we were early in the race, and the head-bob was a tough one," trainer Wayne Catalano said. Catalano won his fourth Breeders’ Cup race in the Sprint and his first in 10 years.

For the Aron Wellman-led Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, which owns Aloha West, the Sprint marked the best way ever to celebrate 10 years of racing. Those in this particular partnership range from longtime owners to first-timers, and they all must have brought a bevy of friends to swamp the winner's circle.

"This is surreal," said Wellman, Eclipse's president. "This is my home track – I just live five minutes down the road."

Wellman immediately turned to Catalano and began heaping praise on him.

"This guy is a treasure," Wellman said. "He has done an incredible job developing this colt. (Aloha West) only ran for the first time in February this year as a 4-year-old, and 10 months later he's a Breeders' Cup Sprint champion. That takes master horsemanship to be able to accomplish something that monumental."