Fort Bragg Off the Bench in SA Sprint Championship

The talented Fort Bragg, third in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) as a 3-year-old, makes his long-awaited 2024 debut in the same race as a bigger and stronger 4-year-old.

Santa Anita Park's $200,000 Sept. 29 Santa Anita Sprint Championship is part of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, awarding $30,000 to the winner, $15,000 to the runner-up, and $7,500 to the third-place finisher to apply toward entry fees for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Trained by Bob Baffert for the dynamic partnership of SF Racing, Madaket Stables, Starlight Racing, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Waves Edge Capital, Jay Schoenfarber, and Catherine Donovan, Fort Bragg has been unraced since a sixth-place effort in the Malibu Stakes (G1) on the day after Christmas.

The winner of the Dwyer Stakes (G3) last year over grade 1 winner Saudi Crown going a mile, the son of Tapit  has since excelled in shorter races. He was fourth in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1), third against older rivals in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, and then captured a first-level allowance event going 6 1/2 furlongs in a sparkling 1:14 3/5. The front-running victory netted the $700,000 purchase an 111 Equibase Speed Figure.

Fort Bragg has been training consistently with Baffert in Southern California for his return to the races, clocking a bullet half-mile in :47  2/5 at Del Mar three works back.

Juan Hernandez has the call on the colt from the 1-hole.

Another graded stakes-winning speedster looking to shake off the rust in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship is MyRacehorse's Straight No Chaser. The Dan Blacker trainee was sensational in taking the 2023 Maryland Sprint Handicap (G3) on Preakness Day, rocketing to a gate-to-wire 7 1/2 length score with a 109 ESF.

Straight No Chaser was benched after that performance and resurfaced nearly a year later in the Runhappy Stakes (G3) May 11 at Belmont at the Big A. Stumbling at the break, he clawed his way to the front and set a lively pace until yielding late to finish fourth as the favorite.

Regular rider John Velazquez will pilot the son of Speightster.

One horse with recent form in Sunday's race is the John Sadler-trained For All Mankind. The lightly-raced Into Mischief  gelding, who began his career in France, was third in his U.S. debut in April of last year. Given a freshening, he was victorious in his only start this year as a 5-year-old, scoring by 4 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion in a 5 1/2-furlong allowance contest Aug. 10 at Del Mar.

Hector Berrios will take the ride from Hernandez, who had piloted the Hronis Racing runner in his allowance win.