Tides Favor Speed Boat Beach in Cecil B. DeMille

After experiencing his first defeat when ninth after pressing a furious pace in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland, Speed Boat Beach will look to get back on track in the $100,000 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) Dec. 4 at Del Mar. Though the fractions don't figure to be as demanding as in the 5 1/2-furlong, Nov. 4 Juvenile Turf Sprint, when the first quarter went in :21.65, the Cecil B. DeMille offers another obstacle—the one-mile distance. Speed Boat Beach has only sprinted in his three-race career. He won his debut by racing 5 1/2 furlongs on the Del Mar main track in a track record 1:01.86 and then took the Speakeasy Stakes, going five-eighths on the Santa Anita Park turf course in :55.25. The 2-year-old son of Bayern, out of the unraced Pioneerof the Nile mare Sophia Mia, is trained by Bob Baffert for owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Flavien Prat rides. If Speed Boat Beach proves unable to stay the mile distance of the Cecil B. DeMille—which drew an above-average amount of speed for a two-turn grass race—Ransomware, Game Time, and Ze'bul could prove off-the-pace threats. Ransomware was a maiden winner over the course and distance Nov. 12 after a half-length defeat behind Ze'bul in a six-furlong turf race when they both debuted Oct. 21 at Santa Anita. Ze'bul has not raced since.